Gazyva Approved By FDA for Follicular Lymphoma

The Food and Drug Administration has approved Gazyva plus bendamustine for the treatment of follicular lymphoma.

The approval is relevant to patients who have relapsed after or are unresponsive to the drug Rituxan, according to Gazyva's manufacturer Genentech.

"People with follicular lymphoma whose disease returns or worsens despite treatment with a Rituxan-containing regimen need more options because the disease becomes more difficult to treat each time it comes back," said Sandra Horning, Genentech's chief medical officer and head of Global Product Development.

In trials, researchers found that Gazyva plus bendamustine - followed by Gazyva alone - slowed disease progression by 52 percent compared with patients taking a Rituxan regimen or just bendamustine alone.

Follicular lymphoma treatment options

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is the most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and many people have no symptoms at the time they are diagnosed.

According to the Lymphoma Research Foundation, FL is generally responsive to radiation and chemotherapy, and rituximab and bendamustine are the most common drugs used to treat the condition.

Because the disease often returns, however, Gazyva's promise may represent hope for patients who aren't responsive to the more traditional treatment methods for FL.

"Gazyva plus bendamustine provides a new treatment option that can be used after relapse to significantly reduce the risk of progression or death," Horning said.

Source: CURE Today

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