US FDA approves new medication to treat rare type of thyroid cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday approved Cometriq to treat medullary thyroid cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. Medullary thyroid cancer develops in cells in the thyroid gland that make a hormone called calcitonin, which helps maintain a healthy level of calcium in the blood. This type of cancer may occur spontaneously or in families with certain genetic mutations that result in one or more cancers of the endocrine system, including the thyroid gland. The U.S. National Cancer Institute estimates that 56,460 Americans will be diagnosed with thyroid cancer and 1,780 will die from the disease in 2012. About four percent of thyroid cancers are medullary thyroid cancer, making it one of the rarer types of thyroid cancers. Cometriq is a kinase inhibitor that blocks abnormal kinase proteins involved in the development and growth of medullary cancer cells. The safety and effectiveness of Cometriq were established in a clinical study involving 330 patients with medullary thyroid cancer. Treatment with Cometriq increased the length of time a patient lived without the cancer progressing ( progression-free survival) and, in some patients, reduced the size of tumors (response rate). However, treatment with Cometriq did not extend patients' lives. Cometriq is marketed by Exelixis, based in South San Francisco. According to the FDA, the most common side effects of Cometriq were diarrhea; inflammation; redness, pain, etc.