Name assigned to new cancer drug

Ariad Pharmaceuticals has announced the official nonproprietary name for its mTOR inhibitor, AP23573. The new name, as approved by the United States Adopted Names (USAN) Council is deforolimus. Ariad is developing the new entity in conjunction with Merck for the treatment of solid tumors and hematologic cancers. The drug has been granted both fast-track and orphan drug status by the FDA and, according to Ariad, will enter a phase III trial this quarter in patients with metastatic sarcoma.

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