On June 29th, 2006, the FDA approved the Celgene Corporation’s Supplemental New Drug Application for an additional indication for the drug Revlimid. The FDA approved the use of the drug in combination with dexamethasone as a treatment for patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy.
Revlimid (lenalidomide) was approved earlier as a treatment for people with a subtype of myelodysplastic syndrome, a group of blood disorders that occur as a result of improper development of blood cells within the bone marrow.
Multiple myeloma is characterized by overproduction and improper function of plasma cells produced in the bone marrow. Plasma cells are white blood cells that help produce antibodies to fight infection and disease. However, in people with multiple myeloma, malignant plasma cells replace normal ones and other white blood cells that are important to the immune system. The cause of the disease is not known.
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