Glaxo seeks expanded use for breast-cancer drug

GlaxoSmithKline PLC said today that it is seeking regulatory approval in the United States and Europe to expand its cancer drug Tykerb for use as a first-line treatment of advanced breast cancer.

GlaxoSmithKline, which is based in London but employs about 5,000 people in the Philadelphia region, said the applications ask that Tykerb be approved as a first-line therapy alongside anti-hormonal medicine for patients with certain types of breast cancer.

Glaxo's drug is currently approved only for breast cancer patients who have failed to respond adequately to prior therapy including Herceptin, a competing drug made by Roche Holding AG.    - Miriam Hill