FRIDAY, Jan. 27 (HealthDay News) — Inlyta (axitinib) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat advanced renal cell carcinoma in people who haven’t responded to another drug. Six medications had been sanctioned previously for advanced kidney cancer, the agency said.
In a study of 723 people with the advanced form of kidney cancer, the most common side effects of Inlyta included diarrhea, high blood pressure, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, loss of voice, weight loss, weakness, and constipation.
Among certain patients, Inlyta also caused significant bleeding, which in some cases proved fatal. The FDA also warned that people with hypertension should make sure blood pressure is well controlled before taking the twice-daily drug.
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People with untreated brain tumors or gastrointestinal bleeding should not take Inlyta, the FDA said.
The drug is marketed by Pfizer.
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Medline Plus has more about renal cell carcinoma.
