Novartis Licensed Blood Cancer Drug Tasigna in UN’s MPP

Novartis has licensed its blood cancer drug, Tasigna (nilotinib), to the United Nations’ Medicines Patent Pool, for use by generic drugmakers.

The company has joined the Access to Oncology Medicines coalition, which was formed this month to improve access to cancer medicines in low- and lower middle-income countries.

The license is the first for a non-communicable disease drug made available to the pool, joining HIV and COVID-19 licensed technologies.

Tasigna is currently FDA-approved as a treatment for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia that is Philadelphia chromosome-positive. The drug is also authorized in the EU for the same indication.