WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug called Rydapt to treat cancer patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia, the administration announced in a press release on Friday.
"The US Food and Drug Administration today approved Rydapt (midostaurin) for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who have a specific genetic mutation called FLT3, in combination with chemotherapy," the release stated.
Rydapt is a kinase inhibitor that blocks several enzymes that promote cell growth.
AML is a rapidly progressing cancer that forms in the bone marrow which leads to an increased number of white blood cells in the bloodstream.
The National Cancer Institute estimated approximately 19,930 people were diagnosed with AML in 2016, and 10,430 were projected to die of the disease.
