Stivarga tablets approved for treatment of advanced colorectal cancer

US authorities have approved Stivarga (regorafenib) tablets for the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer. Specifically, regorafenib is to be used when cancer has progressed after treatment and spread to other parts of the body.

Regorafenib was licensed to Bayer in 2011 by US drug maker Onyx, which has already joined up with Bayer on another cancer drug, sorafenib, sold as Nexavar tablets. Regorafenib is a multi-kinase inhibitor that blocks several enzymes involved in cancer growth.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the US and the third leading cause of cancer death.