The Food and Drug Administration on Friday gave accelerated approval to Voceryq, a treatment made by Inovio, the agency said. It is for adults with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, a rare airway disease. The FDA said it is the first plasmid DNA-based immunotherapy approved in the country. It uses DNA to help the immune system attack infected cells.

The rare disease is caused by human papillomavirus types 6 and 11, the FDA said. It causes growths in the airway that keep coming back, and many patients need repeated surgeries to remove them.

In a study of 32 adults, 7 of 26 patients who had needed at least three surgeries before treatment needed no surgery in the first year, the FDA said. That was 27% of those patients.

Voceryq is given as a shot into a muscle with a device that sends brief electric pulses to help the treatment get into cells, the agency said. The most common side effects included pain at the injection site, headache, tiredness, high blood pressure, nausea and dizziness.

Accelerated approval lets the FDA approve a drug sooner based on early results. The agency said Inovio must run more studies to confirm the benefit. "For patients, that could mean fewer surgeries, fewer disruptions, and more time living their lives on their own terms," said Karim Mikhail, who leads the FDA center that reviewed the drug.

Inovio's shares more than tripled in after-hours trading to $2.17, MarketWatch reported. The drug was formerly known as INO-3107. Inovio said it expects the drug to be ready to order and ship in about 60 days, with a full launch in the first quarter of 2027, MarketWatch reported.

What we know: The FDA has approved Voceryq for adults with the disease, on condition of more studies.
What we don't: What the treatment will cost and whether follow-up studies confirm the benefit.