Novartis' Afinitor approved as advanced pancreatic NET treatment

EAST HANOVER, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug made by Novartis as the first treatment for advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, Novartis said Thursday.

Novartis announced the approval of Afinitor (everolimus), saying it marked the first approval of a drug for advanced pancreatic NET in nearly 30 years. The drug already is approved for treating cancers of the kidneys and brain.

“The FDA approval of Afinitor represents an important step forward for patients with advanced pancreatic NET,” medicine professor James Yao of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston said on behalf of Novartis. “Patients will now have access to a treatment that has been shown to significantly delay tumor growth and reduce the risk of disease progression.”