NEW YORK (Associated Press) – The drug maker Eli Lilly & Co. said that it submitted an application with European authorities for review of its drug Alimta as an initial lung cancer treatment.

Alimata, an injection already federally approved in the U.S., is used as a second-line treatment therapy for non-small cell lung cancer. It is also used in conjunction with cisplatin as a first-line treatment for malignant pleural mesothelioma, a cancer that affects the lungs.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, non-small cell lung cancer is the most common form of lung cancer.

Eli Lilly's European Medicines Agency submission is based on a study that evaluated a form of chemotherapy involving the use of Alimta plus cisplatin. The study compared that cancer treatment to Lilly's other widely used lung cancer treatment involving injectable Gemzar, plus cisplatin. The patent for Gemzar begins expiration in 2010.

Lilly said that the study demonstrated that the two treatments produced similar levels of effectiveness, but Alimta showed a better toxicity profile.

Lilly is now specifically seeking review of Alimta, in combination with cisplatin, for the first-line treatment of advanced NSCLC which is the initial treatment of the disease.

The European agency approved Alimta as a single agent, second-line treatment for patients with advanced NSCLC, as well as in combination with cisplatin for the treatment of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma in September 2004.