AstraZeneca wins US approval for lymphoma drug

U.S. regulators have approved a new treatment for people with a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday granted accelerated approval to AstraZeneca PLC for its Calquence (KAL’-kwens) for treating patients after chemotherapy or other treatments fail. The British drugmaker will have to do further testing confirm the drug’s benefits and risks.

Mantle cell lymphoma is a blood cancer that usually strikes middle-aged people and the elderly. It starts in the white blood cells and spreads to the lymph nodes and other parts of the body. About 4,200 Americans are diagnosed with it each year. Median survival is about five to seven years.

AstraZeneca says the drug will cost about $14,260 before month without insurance, but the drugmaker says it will offer patients financial assistance.