Pfizer adds doxorubicin hydrochloride injection to portfolio

Pfizer has announced the addition of injection-based doxorubicin hydrochloride to its portfolio of off-patent oncology products in its injectables division.

The treatment has been shown to help stimulate regression among a wide variety of cancer types, including acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, neuroblastoma, ovarian carcinoma, malignant lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease.

It is also indicated as a component of adjuvant therapy for women with evidence of axillary lymph node involvement following breast cancer resection.

James Hageman, vice-president of Pfizer Injectables, said this will offer a new treatment option for clinicians struggling with a limited supply of oncology treatments.

"We seek to provide our customers with quality established products … so that patients do not have to be turned away as a result of drug shortages," he explained.

Earlier this month, the company applied for European regulatory approval of axitinib, a new developmental therapy for advanced renal cell carcinoma patients that have failed to respond to prior treatment.