(Business Insider)
The FDA on Monday approved a new cancer treatment in an unconventional way: not by tumor type, but rather by the genetic mutation the drug targets.
The drug, Vitrakvi, was developed by Loxo Oncology in partnership with pharma giant Bayer.
It's only the second time the FDA has approved a cancer drug's use based on a certain mutation rather than a particular tumor type.
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday took an unconventional approach to approving a new cancer drug.
The drug, Vitrakvi, was developed by Loxo Oncology. It's the company's first drug to get approved.
Loxo's approach is to develop drugs that act on cancerous genetic mutations rather than the type of cancer a person has. For example, Vitrakvi, has been tested in patients with lung, colon, breast and thyroid cancer among others. Read more