Pharmaceutical firm Pfizer has requested that EU regulators approve its drug axitinib as a treatment for those with kidney cancer, which may mean the company requires new pharma labels soon.

Last month, the organisation revealed the product met its goal in the late-stage clinical trial, with patients treated with the drug surviving longer than those that were not.

The oral medication blocks receptors that impact on tumour and blood vessel growth and help slow the spread of cancers.

Pfizer is hoping that axitinib - which may require European pharmaceutical labels if approved by the EU - will be used to combat advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in patients that have had no success with other treatments.

Garry Nicholson, president and general manager of Pfizer Oncology Business Unit, commented: "This regulatory filing for our innovative investigational therapy axitinib, as well as ongoing studies of our existing medications, underscores Pfizer's commitment to patients with advanced RCC."

Other products with printed labels available from Pfizer include Accupro - used to treat hypertension and congestive heart failure - and Brevinor - an oral contraception.

Denny Bros Ltd, 03 June 2011