US Pharm. 2011;36(3)(Oncology suppl):9.
Genentech and Biogen Idec announced the FDA approval of Rituxan (rituximab) as a maintenance treatment for patients with advanced follicular lymphoma who responded to initial treatment with Rituxan plus chemotherapy (induction treatment). Rituxan was approved by the European Commission for this indication in October 2010.“This approval is important because it shows that maintenance treatment with Rituxan, after initial therapy with Rituxan and chemotherapy, further reduces the risk of relapse in people with follicular lymphoma,” said Hal Barron, MD, chief medical officer and head, Global Product Development, Roche. “Maintenance use of Rituxan offers people with this incurable disease the opportunity to live longer without their disease getting worse, a primary goal of treatment.”
