Bristol-Myers Squibb and AbbVie have announced that their cancer therapy Empliciti has been approved in Europe for previously-treated cases of multiple myeloma.

The  European Commission has approved Empliciti for the treatment of multiple myeloma as a combination therapy with Revlimid and dexamethasone in patients who have received at least one prior therapy.

“Bristol-Myers Squibb and AbbVie have received EU approval for Empliciti for the treatment of multiple myeloma.“

Data from the randomised open-label phase III ELOQUENT-2 trial showed this treatment regimen was associated with strong progression-free survival and overall response rates.

This makes Empliciti the first and only immunostimulatory antibody approved for multiple myeloma in the EU.

Emmanuel Blin, senior vice-president and head of commercialisation for policy and operations at Bristol-Myers Squibb, said: "With the approval of Empliciti in the EU, we are proud to extend our immuno-oncology science to multiple myeloma patients in Europe who have received at least one prior therapy."

The company experienced a nine percent year-on-year increase in revenues during the first quarter of 2016.