The Borders-based biotech company last week moved closer to being able to sell its Abstral drug in America. The product, which was accepted for review by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), eases pain for cancer patients and is expected to be launched in the country next year.

ProStrakan already markets Sancuso, its anti-nausea and vomiting patch for chemotherapy patients, in America, and sells Abstral in European markets including the UK and Germany.

Dr Wilson Totten, ProStrakan’s chief executive, described the announcement as a further achievement in the company’s advancement into the lucrative US market.

The company launched its US business last November after Sancuso was approved by the regulators.

The company has shown rapid growth this year, reporting a 40% increase in first-half sales, and said at its interim results in August that it expected to break even by the end of this year.

Allan Watson, the chief financial officer, was recently appointed to the board from the medical technology company Optos.

Shares in the company have risen strongly in recent months, peaking at 155p in early September.

They closed at 124.25p on Friday.

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