快樂小藥師 Im pharmacist nichts glücklich

資料來源：Am J Health-Syst Pharm—Vol 66 Dec 1, 2009

Ofatumumab, a cytolytic CD-20 monoclonal antibody product from GlaxoSmithKline and Genmab A/S,
has been licensed for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in patients whose cancer does not respond
to other chemotherapy, FDA announced in late October.
The product will be marketed as Arzerra.
CLL is a slowly progressing form of leukemia that primarily affects older adults and is the most common type of
leukemia in adults, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
The FDA-approved labeling for ofatumumab states that the drug is indicated for the treatment of CLL in
patients whose disease does not respond to treatment with fludarabine and alemtuzumab.
Ofatumumab was licensed under an accelerated approval mechanism that allows drugs for unmet medical needs
to reach the market earlier than normal and on the basis of indirect indications of clinical benefit.
None of the patients with refractory CLL who participated in a clinical trial of ofatumumab had a “complete response”
to the therapy, according to the drug’s labeling.
Overall, an i.v. treatment regimen of ofatumumab induced a 42% objective tumor response rate as defined by NCI
guidelines for the treatment of CLL. The median duration of the response was 6.5 months.
According to FDA, additional clinical trials are being conducted to determine whether ofatumumab therapy delays the
progression of CLL.
The most frequent adverse events reported by clinical trial participants included neutropenia, anemia, pneumonia,
fever, cough, rash, upper-respiratorytract infection, and gastrointestinal symptoms. Serious infusion reactions,
blood disorders, intestinal obstruction, and infection, including progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy and reactivation
of hepatitis B virus infection, were also reported during clinical trials of ofatumumab.
The labeling recommends that patients be premedicated with acetaminophen, an antihistamine, and a corticosteroid
to decrease the risk of infusion reactions during the administration of ofatumumab.
Live vaccines should not be administered to patients undergoing treatment with ofatumumab.
The recommended dosage of ofatumumab is a 300-mg initial dose administered by i.v. infusion at a rate of 3.6 mg/
hour, followed by 2000 mg weekly for 7 doses infused at a rate of 24 mg/hour. Four weeks later, treatment should resume with
2000 mg administered every four weeks at a rate of 50 mg/hour for 4 doses. A full treatment regimen consists of 12 doses.
Detailed instructions for preparing and administering the recommended amounts ofatumumab at their dosespecific
concentrations are included in the drug’s labeling. Ofatumumab will be available in packages containing 3 or 10
100-mg, 20-mg/mL single-use vials and two inline filters.
—Kate Traynor