In clinical trials, Amgen's drug has been shown to reduce tumor growth and help people with small-cell lung cancer live significantly longer.
Of the more than 2.2 million patients who are diagnosed with lung cancer worldwide each year, small-cell lung cancer comprises 15%, or 330,000, of those cases, Amgen said.
There are around 35,000 patients with small-cell lung cancer in the U.S., Dr. Jay Bradner, Amgen's chief scientific officer, told CNBC.
Small-cell lung cancer usually starts in the airways of the lung and grows rapidly, creating large tumors and spreading throughout the body.
Maida Mangiameli, a small-cell lung cancer advocate and patient mentor from Naperville, Illinois, is also a survivor of the devastating disease.
Persons:
Amgen, Jay Bradner, Bradner, Lynne Bell, Amgen's, Bell, I'm, Maida, Mangiameli, Amgen's Bradner
Organizations:
Drug Administration, of Cancer, CNBC, American Cancer Society
Locations:
U.S, Atlanta , Georgia, Naperville , Illinois