FDA OK's new leukemia treatment

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it has approved the use of the drug Arzerra for chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

The FDA said it approved Arzerra (ofatumumab) for patients with the slowly progressing cancer of the blood and bone marrow when the cancer is no longer being controlled by other forms of chemotherapy.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia primarily affects people older than 50 and arises from a group of white blood cells known as B-cells that are part of the body's immune system, officials said.

The drug was approved under the FDA's accelerated approval process, which allows earlier approval of drugs that satisfy unmet medical needs and are reasonably likely to allow patients to live longer or with fewer side effects of a disease.

Arzerra is manufactured by London-based GlaxoSmithKline.