Government funding for MabThera® will help create lymphoma survivors
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News
Posted 18/08/2006 Good news for lymphoma sufferers. From the 1st August 2006, Australians who have previously untreated follicular lymphoma – a form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) – will have access to improved treatment on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). MabThera® (rituximab) is an “immune therapy”; an antibody which targets a particular molecule found on the surface of lymphoma cells. Recent long-term clinical trial results of MabThera® treatment in previously untreated follicular lymphoma found that, in combination with chemotherapy, patients experienced significantly improved outcomes compared with those who were treated with chemotherapy alone.1-4 These findings have prompted the PBS funding for this indication. Significant benefits for patients with follicular lymphoma. Dr Paula Marlton, Head of Leukaemia and Lymphoma Services at Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital, welcomes the extended PBS funding of MabThera®. “We’ve known about the benefits of this treatment in NHL for some time. It’s an enormous relief for us to now be able to offer MabThera® to all follicular lymphoma patients.” Dr Marlton has participated in international clinical trials of MabThera® and these latest results provide overwhelming evidence for MabThera® use in this type of lymphoma. “We now have four randomised studies comparing treatment with chemotherapy alone to chemotherapy plus MabThera®. All these studies have shown significantly better outcomes for the patients who received MabThera® with their chemotherapy”. “Importantly, we have seen not only improvements in the length of time patients are in remission, but also in prolonged overall survival. Patients with follicular lymphoma can now live longer as well as enjoy a better quality of life, with more time in remission.” The importance of receiving MabThera treatment when first diagnosed with the disease was highlighted by Dr Marlton: “Patients can now be assured at the time of their diagnosis that we have a very effective approach to treating follicular lymphoma. Once treated, most patients can get back to their normal life with less frequent hospital visits for further treatment and without the burden of symptoms from their disease.” The world has changed in the treatment of lymphoma Dr Marlton reflected on the changes she has seen in the treatment of follicular lymphoma over the past 20 years. While it is a disease that enters remission quite readily, it almost always comes back to cause repeated and increasingly serious problems as the patient’s life progresses. These recent advances mean that patients can achieve much longer initial remissions, regaining control of their lives for longer periods of time before they need further treatment. “We are now seeing patients with follicular lymphoma surviving longer,” said Dr Marlton. During the early 1990s, Dr Marlton was involved with clinical trial research of antibodies against lymphoma cells. “Back when we were first investigating these antibodies, it was impossible to know the huge impact this approach was going to have on the treatment of lymphoma a decade or so later. Importantly, MabThera’s specific targeting of lymphoma cells makes it different to chemotherapy, which has widespread effects on many cell types in the body, not just tumour cells. So MabThera® is much better tolerated and a much safer treatment to use.” Good news for lymphoma – but continued research is needed NHL is the most common form of blood cancer and the sixth most common cancer in Australia.5 MabThera® has dramatically changed the way lymphoma is treated and the outlook for lymphoma sufferers. This is timely, given that the number of cases of lymphoma has doubled in the last 20 years, for no known reason, and continues to increase.6 In fact, every year nearly 4000 Australians are diagnosed with some form of NHL. This equates to about 11 people every day. This latest breakthrough in the treatment of lymphoma with MabThera® is also a reminder of the importance of medical research. “We all need to support medical research,” said Dr Marlton, “so patients with lymphoma – and other types of cancer – can benefit from improved treatment of these diseases.” From 1st August 2006, MabThera® is PBS reimbursed for the treatment of previously untreated follicular lymphoma, in combination with chemotherapy. MabThera® is also PBS reimbursed for some other types of lymphoma. Your doctor will be able to provide you with further details.
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