For the first time in history, a drug has been approved by the FDA to treat a specific type of blood cancer.
The drug, Nelarabine injection, has been given the green light by the regulator in the US to treat kids with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and T-cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma (T-LBL), per a press release from Shorla Oncology.
"It is our hope that today's approval addresses the clinical need in this patient community," says Orlaith Ryan, Shorla's CTO and a co-founder.
T-cell leukemia is an aggressive cancer that starts in the bone marrow and spreads quickly.
The drug, which is also used to treat other cancers, has long been in short supply due to a shortage of the active ingredient, thalidomide.
The release notes that "it is our hope that today's approval addresses the clinical need in this patient community."
The median age for a child diagnosed with T-cell leukemia in the US is 5 years, per the American Cancer Society.
"While most leukemias target older people, T-cell leukemia is most common among children, with this particular treatment often in shortage," Dr. Stephen P.
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