The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the drug Gemzar for treating recurrent ovarian cancer, produced by Eli Lilly and Co., Monday.

Gemzar is already approved in the United States for lung, pancreatic and breast cancers and is approved outside the United States for ovarian cancer.

Lilly said ovarian cancer recurs in 90 percent of women who are diagnosed and treated. The American Cancer Society estimates there will be 20,180 new cases in the United States this year.

The FDA approved use of Gemzar in combination with carboplatin, a widely used chemotherapy, for women with advanced ovarian cancer that has relapsed at least six months after initial therapy.

About 22,000 American women are diagnosed with the disease and about 16,000 die from it each year, according to the American Cancer Society. In most women, tumors tend to recur, making treatment difficult and resulting in low survival rates. Enditem

Source: Xinhua/agencies