European regulators have recommended the approval of thalidomide being reintroduced in the market for treating patients with a rare bone marrow cancer. Pharmion Corp. has the rights to thalidomide sales outside the U.S. The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) found that the benefits of the drug in combination with melphalan and prednisone in treating multiple myeloma blood disorders in patients over 65 years of age or ineligible for high-dose of chemotherapy far outweigh the risks related to the initial treatment. The EC usually follows the recommendation of the EMEA.

The marketing approval would require Pharmion to establish a plan for preventing the sale of thalidomide to women who may be pregnant, given the drug’s severe and life-threatening effects on the unborn child.