FDA approves drug to treat people with some types of anemia

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A drug similar to one that causes birth defects has won FDA approval to treat anemia in people who suffer from certain kinds of rare bone marrow disorders known as myelodysplastic syndromes, or MDS.
The Food and Drug Administration approved the drug, lenalidomide, late Tuesday. Celgene Corp., of Summit, N.J., plans to market the drug as Revlimid.
MDS refers to various disorders caused when bone marrow does not make enough normal blood cells. Patients with MDS can require blood and platelet transfusions and treatment with antibiotics for infections.
Patients treated with Revlimid in clinical trials went transfusion-free for 44 weeks on average, according to the FDA.
About 7,000 to 12,000 cases of MDS are diagnosed each year in the United States. Symptoms include weakness, fatigue, infections, bruising, bleeding and fever.
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