NICE recommends Polatuzumab vedotin for DLBCL

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended Polatuzumab vedotin with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and prednisolone (R-CHP) for untreated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in adults, only if:

• they have an International Prognostic Index (IPI) score of 2 to 5 (IPI is a clinical tool developed to aid in predicting the likely outcome of treatment)

Polatuzumab vedotin is a type of treatment called an ‘antibody–drug conjugate’. This is a strong anti-cancer drug joined to an antibody that binds to a protein called CD79b on the surface of B cells (the cells that are abnormal in DLBCL). This carries the drug directly to the B cells and kills them. It is administered as an intravenous infusion.

R-CHP is a chemoimmunotherapy combing the use of four drugs (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisolone) to target and kill cancer cells. This is not to be confused with R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone) which is currently the most widely used first line chemotherapy for lymphoma.

The guidance states that people with untreated DLBCL with an IPI score of 2 to 5 having polatuzumab vedotin with R-CHP may have more time before their cancer gets worse.

Find out more about drug development, approval and funding, or visit Lymphoma TrialsLink for the latest on clinical trials for lymphoma.

 

Published: 27 January 2023