Zelta cancer drug approved in eight more countries

MADRID, Feb 3 - Spanish pharmaceutical firm Zeltia <ZEL.MC> on Wednesday said its drug Yondelis has been approved for treating advanced soft tissue sarcoma in eight countries.

Zeltia said in a statement that its partner Centocor Ortho Biotech -- a unit of Johnson & Johnson <J.N> -- had told it health authorities would allow Yondelis as a treatment option in Bolivia, Paraguay, Thailand, Malaysia, Curacao, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

Yondelis was authorised in Britain in December for treating advanced soft tissue sarcoma.

It was also licensed for treating ovarian cancer in Europe in November.

Yondelis is a key product for the loss-making Spanish company, which forecasts that sales of the drug could reach 300 million euros a year in Europe.

Soft tissue sarcomas are tumours that develop in the soft, supporting tissue in the body, such as fat, muscle and blood vessels. (Reporting by Jose Elias Rodriguez; Writing by Martin Roberts; editing by Elaine Hardcastle)