It has been uncovered in a recent report that Pfizer, a research-based pharmaceutical company, has got the approval of the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) for a new drug INLYTA (axitinib). The report says that the drug is highly beneficial for the patients with advanced RCC or Renal Cell Carcinoma.

According to a recent report, INLYTA is a therapy found by the researchers at Pfizer to treat the advanced RCC patients, and is the first drug to be approved by the FDA, told senior vice president Mace Rothenberg, from Pfizer oncology business unit clinical development and medical affairs. RCC is a form of kidney cancer which victimizes thousands of people each year and only a few patients are able to survive after the diagnosis, as per the National Cancer Institute.

The team of researchers at Pfizer found through their study that INLYTA is helpful in a progression-free survival for advanced RCC patients with an average of 6.7 months PFS. It is found to be more powerful and effective than the existing drug Sorafenib, which allows PFS of 4.7 months.

It has been told by Garry Nicholson, the President and General Manager of Pfizer Oncology Business Unit, that INLYTA is a much effective therapy amongst all other treatments for advanced RCC. The reason behind this is that the drug selectively inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor receptors 1, 2 and 3 that are further able to influence the growth of tumor, vascular angiogenesis as well as the progression of cancer.

However, it is still not the perfect treatment therapy, says the report, as Mace Rothenberg added, “Even with the advent of targeted therapies, the need remains for additional options for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma whose disease has progressed following first-line medications”.