The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday cleared a new formulation of Novartis' drug Afinitor to treat very young patients with brain tumors caused by a rare genetic disorder. The new formulation, Afinitor Disperz, was cleared to treat children as young as 1 year old who have inoperable tumors caused by tuberous sclerosis. Tuberous sclerosis causes tumors in the brain, eyes, lungs, liver and other organs, leading to learning disabilities, seizures and other problems. The tumors are not cancerous, but they can be fatal for patients who develop complications from tumor growth in the brain.
