Pfizer wins US approval for third Xeljanz indication

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Wednesday the expansion of Pfizer's (NYSE: PFE) Xeljanz (tofacitinib) label to encompass adults with ulcerative colitis (UC).

The drug, which received FDA approval for the treatment of rheumatoid arthiritis in 2012 and psoriatic arthiritis in 2017, will provide an alternative therapy in the chronic inflammatory bowel disease.

“New treatments are needed for patients with moderately to severely active UC,” said Julie Betz, director of the Office for Drug Evaluation at the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "Today’s approval provides an alternative therapy for a debilitating disease with limited treatment options."