FDA approves MGI Pharma, Helsinn anti-nausea drug

MGI Pharma Inc. and Helsinn Healthcare SA, a private Swiss drug maker, said on Friday that U.S. regulators approved their drug for preventing nausea associated with chemotherapy.

The companies said the drug, Aloxi, was approved for the treatment of acute nausea and to prevent delayed nausea associated with the most common types of chemotherapy. Despite current treatments for nausea, about half of chemotherapy patients still experience delayed nausea and vomiting, said Edward Rubenstein, chief of the Section of Medical Supportive Care at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. The drug was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. MGI Pharma is based in Minneapolis.(Source: Reuters Health: July 25, 2003: Oncolink)