The US regulators have approved a new drug for the treatment of lymphoma. The approved drug is dedicated towards the eradication of a rare form of “non-Hodgkin” lymphoma.
FDA (Food and drug administration) gave a green signal to British drug manufacturing company, about the manufacturing of drug “Calquence” on a commercial scale. The approval is an epitome of treating patients after chemotherapy or when a user has no more options left to treat lymphoma.
Mantle cell lymphoma is a blood cancer, which affects almost 4,200 American annually. Medical specialists claim that the median survival of a diagnosed individual is about 5 – 7 years. According to Dr. Richard Pazdur, the director of FDA’s oncology center of excellence. “Mantle cell lymphoma is particularly aggressive cancer.”
The drug Calquence, works by blocking an enzyme, which is needed by cancer for its growth. When the enzyme is blocked, potential cancer cells would not have the means of propagation inside the human body.
A patient will have to take two capsules per day, in order to ensure the normal working of the drug. AstraZeneca claims that the drug will cost around 14,000 dollars before insurance. Arguably, this is expensive for an average Joe, but the company believes the drug will offer financial assistance to its customers.
The FDA gave its verdict of consent after the sponsored study of 124 patients, who had undergone through cancer treatment at least once in their lives. After taking Calquence, 40% of total patients went into a state of remission while the other 41% percent observed a shrinkage in their tumors.
As compared to traditional studies, the study did not include a comparison group.
Although Calquence appears effective, it has its share of side-effects. Serious side-effects include bleeding, irregular heartbeat and infections.