In a nutshell
This study aimed to investigate the safety and effectiveness of ofatumumab in patients with untreated, advanced stage follicular lymphoma.
This study concluded that ofatumumab is safe and effective in these patients.
Some background
Rituximab (Rituxan) is a targeted therapy that has proven effective in treating patients with advanced-stage follicular lymphoma (FL). It is the standard therapy for these patients. Ofatumumab (Azerra) is a targeted therapy used to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia that is resistant to other treatment. It also has potential to treat FL.
It is still not known if ofatumumab is safe and effective in previously untreated patients with FL.
Methods & findings
This study involved 51 patients with previously untreated, advanced stage FL. 36 Patients received 4 doses of 1000mg ofatumumab a week. This was followed by 4 extended induction doses every 8 weeks. 15 patients received 500mg doses. The overall response rate (ORR) was measured. ORR is the number of patients that have a complete or partial response to treatment. Progression-free survival (PFS) and safety were also measured. PFS is survival without the disease getting worse.
For the 1000mg dose group, the ORR was 84%. The average PFS was 1.9 years. Response to treatment lasted on average 23.7 months for this group.
The survival rate was 100% for both groups during this study. No life-threatening reactions or infections occurred after administration. The most common side effects were low white and red blood cell counts.
The bottom line
This study concluded that ofatumumab is safe and effective in patients with untreated, advanced stage FL. It was also concluded that ofatumumab has similar effectiveness to the standard treatment rituximab.
The fine print
This study had a limited number of patients. Also, there was no comparison group. Further studies are needed.
What’s next?
Published By :
British Journal of Haematology
Date :
Feb 05, 2019
