Nexavar drug approved as treatment for liver cancer

The U.S. approved Nexavar drug, the product of Germany's Bayer AG, for the liver cancer treatment.

Photo: Nexavar drug approved as treatment for liver cancer

The Food and Drug Administration extended the approval of the oral anticancer drug for the treatment of patients with the most common sort of liver cancer, Bayer said.

The drug has already been approved in Europe for the treatment of liver cancer, and has been approved since 2005 for the treatment of advanced kidney cancer in more than 60 countries including the U.S. and the European Union.

"This milestone will likely establish Nexavar as the standard systemic therapy for the treatment of liver cancer and is a turning point in improving treatment outcomes in patients facing the devastating impact of this disease," said Arthur Higgins, chairman of Bayer HealthCare AG.

Bayer shares were down 0.2 percent at Ђ53.92 (US$79.09) in Frankfurt trading.