FDA Panel Backs Drug for Ovarian Cancer

Alza Corp.’s Doxil chemotherapy drug should be approved for expanded use as a treatment for ovarian cancer, the advisory panel for the Food and Drug Administration said. Doxil was cleared in the U.S. in 1995 for treating Kaposi’s sarcoma, a cancer most often associated with AIDS. The recommendation helps pave the way for accelerated FDA approval of the new use for the drug, which would be the first treatment for late-stage ovarian cancer patients who haven’t responded to the usual chemotherapy regimen. Shares of Palo Alto-based Alza fell 56 cents to close at $38.31 on the NYSE.