FDA Approves Adcetris as First-line Combination Therapy for Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma

Officials with the FDA have expanded the approval of brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) to include treatment-naïve adults with stage 3 or 4 classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL), in combination with chemotherapy, according to a press release.

Brentuximab vedotin combines an antibody and a drug that targets CD30 on lymphoma cells. The FDA previously authorized brentuximab vedotin to treat cHL after relapse and after stem cell transplant in high-risk patients. Additionally, the drug is approved to treat systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) after treatment failure and primary cutaneous ALCL after treatment failure.

The new approval for adults with cHL was based on clinical trial findings that compared brentuximab vedotin plus chemotherapy (Adriamycin [doxorubicin], vinblastine and dacarbazine [AVD]) with chemotherapy alone.

The study investigated modified progression-free survival, which measured time to disease progression, death, or new treatment among patients who did not achieve a complete response, according to the release.

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