March 15 (Reuters) - Advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday voted in favor of allowing the use of Bristol Myers Squibb's cell therapy as an earlier treatment for a type of blood cancer.

The panel voted 8-3 in favor that benefits of Bristol's Abecma outweighed the risks of the therapy when given as an earlier treatment. (Reporting by Bhanvi Satija and Sneha S K in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)