New York, NY (March 14, 2017) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it has approved the use of pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA ®) to treat patients with refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL), or those who have relapsed after three or more prior lines of therapy. This announcement marks the latest immunotherapeutic agent to receive accelerated approval by the FDA, which has cleared the PD-1 inhibitor for usage in both adults and children with cHL.
“The approval of pembrolizumab offers new hope for Hodgkin lymphoma patients who have relapsed or been refractory to treatment and who previously had limited treatment options,” said Meghan Gutierrez, Chief Executive Officer of the Lymphoma Research Foundation. “Today’s announcement is reflective of the incredible potential of immunotherapy that is currently being realized for the benefit of people with lymphoma.”
The approval is based on a non-randomized trial of 210 patients, who demonstrated an overall response rate of 69 percent after receiving 200 mg every three weeks, with a complete remission rate of 22 percent and a partial remission rate 47 percent.
For additional information on classical Hodgkin lymphoma, visit www.FocusOnHL.org.
To learn more about this approval, visit the FDA drug label here.
About the Lymphoma Research Foundation
The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) is the nation’s largest non-profit organization devoted to funding innovative research and serving the lymphoma community through a comprehensive series of education programs, outreach initiatives and patient services. To date, LRF has awarded nearly $60 million in lymphoma-specific research. For additional information on LRF’s research, education and services, visit lymphoma.org.
Contact:
Jake DiGregorio
508-414-8853
jdigregorio@lymphoma.org
