FDA expands use of Bristol Myers' cancer drug Yervoy

Female doctor holding application form while consulting patient

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded the use of Bristol-Myers Squibb Co's skin cancer drug, Yervoy, as an additional therapy for patients with advanced melanoma.

This approval extends Yervoy's use to patients who are at a high risk of melanoma recurrence after surgery, the agency said on Wednesday.

Yervoy, administered intravenously, was originally approved in 2011 to treat late-stage melanoma that cannot be removed by surgery.