Biotechnology company Genentech Inc. said late Thursday the Food and Drug Administration approved cancer drug Herceptin as part of a combination treatment for women who have had initial breast cancer therapy, with the goal of reducing the risk of recurrence.

The drug was originally approved in 1998 to treat metastatic breast cancer.

Studies showed that adding the drug to chemotherapy early in breast cancer treatment reduced the relative risk of recurrence by half.

Shares of the biotecg giant rose 41 cents to $81.43 on the New York Stock Exchange.