Palladia (toceranib phosphate) are the first drug to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration specially to treat cancer in dogs, the agency said in a news release Wednesday.
The drug has been authorized to treat canine cutaneous mast cell tumors, which account for about one in five cases of skin tumors in dogs.
While these tumors may show small, they can be life-threatening if not treated and removed, the FDA said. Palladia, among a class of drugs called tyrosine kinase inhibitors, kills tumor cells and cuts off the tumors' blood supply. Palladia is formed by New York City-based Pfizer Animal.