SEATTLE — Seattle Genetics said it filed with the Food and Drug Administration for approval of a cancer drug linking a potent synthetic chemical with an antibody that latches on to malignant cells.
The company said it sought priority review for the drug, called brentuximab vedotin, in treating cases of Hodgkin lymphoma and systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma that don’t respond to other therapies.
Company president Clay Seigall said that if approved, the drug “”would be the first of a new class of (antibody-drug conjugates), representing a potentially significant step forward in the way certain types of cancer are treated.””
The FDA application had been expected since December, when Seattle Genetics announced strong results from two clinical trials of the drug. The company’s shares closed down 31 cents, or 2 percent, at $14.85.
