SMC recommends Pola BR
Published on: 12 July 2023Treatment recommended for patients with R/R DLBCL who are not eligible for HSCT
The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) have recommended polatuzumab vedotin in combination with bendamustine and rituximab (Pola BR) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who are not candidates for haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT).
The SMC have made this decision as studies show that polatuzumab vedotin in combination with bendamustine and rituximab show better response rates compared with bendamustine and rituximab alone.
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.
Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody therapy that sticks to a protein called CD20 and Bendamustine is a chemotherapy drug.
The SMC previously accepted polatutuzumab for use in this indication on an interim basis but this guidance supersedes that advice.
Find out more about drug development, approval and funding, or visit Lymphoma TrialsLink for the latest on clinical trials for lymphoma.