NEW YORK (AP) – Drug developer Pfizer Inc. said December 2 it received European regulatory approval for Sutent as a treatment for a rare type of pancreatic tumors.

The European Commission approved the drug to specifically treat neuroendrocrine tumors in the pancreas that can’t be removed or have spread. Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors are a rare form of cancer, reported in up to 4 out of every 1 million people worldwide.

In the U.S., Sutent is already approved as a treatment for kidney cancer and for tumors of the stomach, esophagus, and bowels that do not respond to other treatment.

Pfizer is seeking additional approvals, but has reported unsuccessful trials over the last year in lung cancer and prostate cancer.

Date: December 2, 2010
Source: The Associated Press