The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Beleodaq (belinostat) for the treatment of patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), a rare and fast-growing type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The action was taken under the agency’s accelerated approval program.

PTCL comprises a diverse group of rare diseases in which lymph nodes become cancerous. In 2014, the National Cancer Institute estimates that 70,800 Americans will be diagnosed with NHL and 18,990 will die. PTCL represents about 10 to 15 percent of NHLs in North America.

Beleodaq works by stopping enzymes that contribute to T-cells, a type of immune cell, becoming cancerous. It is intended for patients whose disease returned after treatment (relapsed) or did not respond to previous treatment (refractory).

For more details, go to: http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm403929.htm?source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery