Europe's CHMP extends use for Novartis' Lucentis, B-MS's Sprycel and Pfizer's Sutent; backs AstraZeneca's FLUENZ Influenza vaccine

At its meetings last week, the European Medicines Agency's (EMEA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) issued a number of positive opinions extending the use of already-marketed compounds.

These included the use of Swiss drug major Novartis’ (NOVN: VX) Lucentis (ranibizumab) for the treatment of patients with visual impairment due to diabetic macular edema (DME), a leading cause of blindness in the working-age population in most developed countries.

"Lucentis was designed specifically for use in the eye, and its efficacy and safety have now been demonstrated in patients suffering loss of vision due to diabetic macular edema through a robust program of clinical trials," said David Epstein, Division Head of Novartis Pharmaceuticals.