(LONDON) - British pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline said on Thursday that European regulators had given marketing approval for its tablet breast cancer drug Tyverb.

"GlaxoSmithKline announced today that the European Commission has granted a conditional marketing authorisation for Tyverb ... for all 27 European Union member states," GSK said in a statement.

The decision came after the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) granted a "positive opinion" on Tyverb in December.

The drug, which is sold under the name Tykerb in the United States, is recommended for patients with advanced or metastatic breast cancer.

The treatment contains a molecule, administered orally, that works by getting inside the cancer cell and inhibiting two receptor proteins -- known as ErbB1 and ErbB2 -- that are partly responsible for tumour growth.

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