(Alliance News) - AstraZeneca PLC on Thursday said that the EU approved its prescription medicine Truqap, in combination with hormonal therapy Faslodex, for the treatment of a form of breast cancer.

The Cambridge-based pharmaceutical company said the approval was for patients with advanced ER-positive breast cancer.

AstraZeneca highlighted that it marked the "first and only AKT inhibitor approved in the EU for breast cancer patients with specific biomarker alterations," with the alterations being PIK3CA, AKT1 or PTEN.

The approval by the European Commission is based on phase 3 trial results which showed that Truqap with Faslodex lowered the risk of disease progression or death by 50% when compared to a placebo plus Faslodex, in patients with the aforementioned alterations harboured by their tumours.

AstraZeneca noted that following this approval, Astex Therapeutics is eligible for a milestone payment from AstraZeneca on the first commercial sale of the drug in the EU, and on royalties on future sales in line with the agreement between the companies.

AstraZeneca shares were 0.2% lower at 12,320.00 pence each on Thursday morning in London.

By Tom Budszus, Alliance News slot editor

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