Green light for Celgene’s targeted AML drug

US regulators have issued a green light for Celgene and Agios’ Idhifa, the first and only targeted treatment for adult patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukaemia and an isocitrate dehydrogenase-2 mutation. Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a rapidly progressing cancer that forms in the bone marrow and results in an increased number of abnormal white blood cells in the bloodstream and bone marrow. The disease has many genetic mutations, which can make it difficult to treat, and patients who become relapsed or refractory to initial therapy have a particularly poor prognosis. Idhifa (enasidenib) is an isocitrate dehydrogenase-2 inhibitor that works by blocking several enzymes that promote cell growth.