Biogen Idec reports benefit of Zevalin plus rituximab

Biogen Idec has announced this week at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) that the addition of Zevalin (Ibritumomab tiuxetan) followed by rituximab to a short course first line treatment of follicular lymphoma doubled the complete response rate in patients.

According to clinical studies, patients administered with a standard treatment regimen saw a complete response rate of 44 per cent, with this figure rising to 88 per cent in those receiving Zevalin plus rituximab.

Additionally, in PET scan assessments of patients in the phase II clinical trial, patients saw a 100 per cent partial and complete response rate.

Zevalin radioimmunotherapy combines a monoclonal antibody that attaches to cell-surface proteins on CD20 antigen B-cells to destroy the cells – including malignant NHL B-cells – with a radioisotope

Samuel A Jacobs, associate director for clinical investigations at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, said: “The increase in complete response rates when adding Zevalin radioimmunotherapy is promising.”

He added that these results supplemented existing evidence supporting the use of radioimmunotherapy in front-line treatment for cancers to boost complete response rates in patients.

At last year’s Asco annual meeting, Biogen Idec and Schering AG reported that 45 per cent of patients with mantle cell lymphoma saw a complete response to treatment with Zevalin, while 84 per cent saw at least a partial response to the therapy.