EPZM - FDA Approves Epizyme's Sarcoma Drug Tazverik
Epizyme (NASDAQ: EPZM) secured an accelerated approval from the Food and Drug Administration for its sarcoma drug Tazverik. The drug was approved specifically for patients with metastatic or locally advanced epithelioid sarcoma who aren't eligible for surgery to completely remove the tumor.
Tazverik is the first FDA-approved drug for epithelioid sarcoma. It's also the first FDA-approved drug that targets enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), a protein involved in modifying DNA, which leads to the suppression of expression of certain genes, including tumor suppressor genes. By inhibiting EZH2, Tazverik reduces the DNA modification, thereby increasing the expression of tumor suppressors that can slow or stop growth of cancerous cells.
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