By Emily Miller
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the approval use of Imbruvica (ibrutinib) for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients who have received at least one previous therapy.
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is a rare blood and bone marrow disease that usually gets worse slowly over time, causing a gradual increase in white blood cells. The National Cancer Institute estimates that 15,680 Americans were diagnosed and 4,580 died from the disease in 2013.
The drug, Imbruvica, works by blocking the enzyme that allows cancer cells to grow and divide.
In November 2013, the FDA granted Imbruvica accelerated approval to treat patients with mantel cell lymphoma – a rare and aggressive type of blood cancer – if those patients received at least one prior therapy.
“Today’s approval provides an important new treatment option for CLL patients whose cancer has progressed despite having undergone previous therapy,” said Richard Pazdur, M.D., director of the Office of Hematology and Oncology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “The FDA completed its review of Imbruvica’s new indication under the agency’s accelerated approval process, which played a vital role in rapidly making this new therapy available to those who need it most.”
According to the FDA, drugs that receive accelerated approval are subject to an agreement to conduct confirmatory trials, which verify and describe clinical benefits.
Imbruvica for CLL also received priority review and orphan-product designation because the drug demonstrated the potential to be a significant improvement in safety or effectiveness in the treatment of a serious condition and is intended to treat a rare disease, respectively.
The most side effects observed in the clinical study include low levels of platelets in the blood, diarrhea, bruising, a decrease in infection-fighting white blood cells, low red blood cells, upper respiratory tract infection, fatigue, pain in the muscles and bones and other similar side effects.
Like any new drug, consult with your regular physician before taking imbruvica. It is also recommended to contact your health insurance to see if imbruvica is covered under your health insurance.
