Ariad Acquisition is already benefiting Takeda with FDA approval of lung cancer drug Alunbrig.

With the recent FDA approval for Alunbrig, a possible blockbuster for the second-line treatment of ALK-positive, non-small cell lung cancer developed by Ariad, Takeda is realizing the benefits of its $5.2 billion Ariad acquisition, which was completed in February 2017.

Takeda expects the drug to be a “best-in-class” treatment with the potential to achieve annual sales of more than $1 billion, and to broaden the company’s position in solid tumor treatments. Alunbrig is targeted for patients who have not responded to Xalkori, a therapy offered by Pfizer and Merck KGaA. Its competition includes Alecensa from Roche and Zykadia from Novartis.

The company is working to bring Alunbrig to market as quickly as possible in the US. It is also waiting for a decision from the European authorities.