FDA Approves Chronic Graft Versus Host Disease Treatment

Article

The efficacy and safety of ibrutinib for the treatment of cGVHD were studied in a single-arm trial of 42 patients with cGVHD whose symptoms persisted despite standard treatment with corticosteroids.

Officials with the US FDA have expanded the approval of the cancer drug ibrutinib (Imbruvica, Pharmacyclics) for the treatment of adult patients with chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD) after failure of one or more treatments. This is the first FDA-approved therapy for the treatment of cGVHD.

The efficacy and safety of ibrutinib for the treatment of cGVHD were studied in a single-arm trial of 42 patients with cGVHD whose symptoms persisted despite standard treatment with corticosteroids. Most patients’ symptoms included mouth ulcers and skin rashes, and more than 50% of patients had two or more organs affected by cGVHD. In the trial, 67% of patients experienced improvements in their cGVHD symptoms. In 48% of patients in the trial, the improvement of symptoms lasted for up to five months or longer.

Common adverse events of this treatment in patients with cGVHD include fatigue, bruising, diarrhea, low levels of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia), muscle spasms, swelling and sores in the mouth (stomatitis), nausea, severe bleeding (hemorrhage), low levels of red blood cells (anemia) and lung infection (pneumonia).

Serious side effects noted with Imbruvica include severe bleeding (hemorrhage), infections, low levels of blood cells (cytopenias), irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation), high blood pressure (hypertension), new cancers (second primary malignancies) and metabolic abnormalities (tumor lysis syndrome). Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not take Imbruvica because it may cause harm to a developing fetus or a newborn baby.

Imbruvica, a kinase inhibitor, was previously approved for certain indications in treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia and marginal zone lymphoma, as well as under accelerated approval status for mantle cell lymphoma.

Reference

FDA approves treatment for chronic graft versus host disease [news release]. Gaithersburg, MD. FDA website. Accessed Aug. 2, 2017 at: https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm569710.htm.

Related Videos
Opill manufacturing | Perrigo
Healthy food selection - Image credit: Alexander Raths | stock.adobe.com
Image Credit: Adobe Stock - nataliaderiabina
© 2024 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.