(Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday it has approved Amgen Inc's biosimilar version of Roche Holding AG's cancer drug Avastin.
Amgen's drug, Mvasi, was approved for multiple types of cancer and is the first biosimilar approved in the U.S. to treat cancer. Biosimilars are somewhat cheaper copies of biologic drugs.
Biologics are made from living cells and are therefore difficult to copy with precision. They are called biosimilars, not generics. Mvasi is approved to treat certain types of colorectal, lung, brain, kidney and cervical cancers.
(Reporting by Toni Clarke in Washington)
