AstraZeneca heralds cancer treatment breakthrough
ASTRAZENECA has won marketing authorisation from the European Commission for its oral anti-cancer drug Iressa.
The Anglo-Swedish company, which has more than 6,000 employees at two sites in Cheshire, said the approval represented “an important step forward” in the treatment of some lung cancers.
Iressa acts by inhibiting certain enzymes which blocks the transmission of signals involved in the growth and spread of tumours. The drug is being billed as an alternative to chemotherapy.
AstraZeneca said it will work closely with clinicians and pathology groups on a country-by-country basis to ensure appropriate access to diagnostic testing.
Anders Ekblom, executive vice president for development at AstraZeneca, said: ‘Iressa is the first truly targeted treatment for lung cancer, and the EU marketing authorisation today represents an important step forward in the treatment of this devastating disease.”
The majority of the company’s staff in the region are cancer researchers at the giant Alderley Park site in Alderley Edge. The firm also has a manufacturing site in nearby Macclesfield.
