NEW YORK

Pfizer Inc. said Friday that European Union regulators are recommending approval for its kidney cancer drug Inlyta.

A European Union advisory committee recommended that Inlyta be approved as a treatment for advanced renal cell carcinoma in patients who were not helped by treatment with Pfizer's drug Sutent or with cytokines, a class of cancer medications that are no longer widely used in the U.S. and Europe, the company said.

The drugmaker said the panel recommended approving the drug for use only in adults.

Renal cell carcinoma is the most common form of kidney cancer.

Inlyta, or axitinib, is a twice-per-day cancer pill. The Food and Drug Administration approved it in January as a secondary option for renal cell carcinoma.

Shares of Pfizer rose 11 cents to $22.25 in morning trading, approaching their 52-week high of $23.30 set late last month. Its shares are up from a low for the past year of $16.63 in early August.

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