Amgen Inc. announced on Monday that it is seeking regulatory approval to sell a drug for treating a rare and particularly deadly form of leukemia.

The Thousand Oaks biopharmaceutical company has submitted an application to the Food and Drug Administration for blinatumomab, which helps the human body recognize cancer cells in the blood. Amgen wants permission for the drug to treat people with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

About 6,000 cases of the condition are diagnosed annually in the United States, and about 7,000 in Europe. In adult patients with a relapse of the disease, average survival is only three to five months.

Dr. Sean Harper, executive vice president of research and development at Amgen, said the filing for blinatumomab represents the company’s commitment to find treatments difficult types of cancer.

“We look forward to working with regulatory authorities to make blinatumomab available for adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, who experience high relapse rates and have limited treatment options,” he said in a statement.

Shares closed down $1.83, or 1.3 percent, to $142.18 on the Nasdaq.