European marketing authorization for Unituxin

The European Commission has granted marketing authorization for US biotech firm United Therapeutics’ (Nasdaq: UTHR) Unituxin (dinutuximab) for the treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma in patients aged 12 months to 17 years, who have previously received induction chemotherapy and achieved at least a partial response, followed by myeloablative therapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT).

Unituxin is administered in combination with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and isotretinoin.

Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid cancer in childhood and the most common cancer in infancy, with an annual incidence in the European Union of around 1,500 patients, of whom 50% are diagnosed as having high-risk disease.