This week the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has approved brentuximab vedotin as a new treatment in the management of Hodgkin lymphoma in England and Wales. It is recommended in combination with doxorubicin, dacarbazine and vinblastine for use in people with stage 3 or 4 CD30-positive disease who have not yet received any treatment.
People with stage 3 and 4 CD30-positive Hodgkin lymphoma currently receive chemotherapy as a first line treatment. This is usually ABVD (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine). Some people are unable to have the bleomycin in this chemotherapy regimen due to side effects. Evidence from clinical trials shows that people who receive the brentuximab vedotin, in combination with doxorubicin, dacarbazine and vinblastine, can live longer and have longer before their lymphoma gets worse.
Brentuximab vedotin is a type of targeted treatment called an antibody-drug conjugate. This is where a monoclonal antibody is joined to a small dose of chemotherapy drug. The antibody sticks to a protein on the lymphoma cells, in this case CD30, and delivers the chemotherapy directly to them.
Although current treatment options are usually successful, they can have a significant physical and emotional impact on patients, making them unsuitable for some. We are excited that NICE has recommended another treatment which will provide hope and improved outcomes for patients facing challenges with current treatments.
Find out more about drug development, approval and funding, or visit Lymphoma TrialsLink for the latest on clinical trials for lymphoma.