Incyte Files for US Approval of Cancer Drug

Incyte Corp. has filed for marketing approval of its lead drug candidate ruxolitinib, and has asked regulators to make a decision on the cancer treatment by early December, according to the Associated Press. The company asked the Food and Drug Administration to approve ruxolitinib as a treatment for myelofibrosis, a cancer of the blood. Incyte requested a priority review, and if the FDA grants that review, it will return a decision in six months instead of the usual 10 months. Priority reviews are given to drugs that treat diseases with limited or no treatment options, and Incyte said there are no drugs approved to treat myelofibrosis. Novartis AG, Incyte''s partner on the drug, has said it will file for approval in the European Union by the end of June.