Summary:
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Merck's drug Welireg (belzutifan) for the treatment of adults and pediatric patients 12 years and older with locally advanced, unresectable, or metastatic pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma.
- Pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma are rare types of tumors that develop in the adrenal glands or nearby nerve tissues and can cause high blood pressure, headaches, and other symptoms.
- Welireg works by blocking a protein called hypoxia-inducible factor-2α (HIF-2α), which helps the tumors grow, and has been shown to be effective in shrinking or slowing the growth of these types of tumors.