New Treatment for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

(October 28, 2009) - Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) will soon have a new option for treatment. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Arzerra (ofatumumab) for patients with CLL, a slowly progressing cancer of the blood and bone marrow. (Read about "Leukemia")

Arzerra is approved for patients with CLL whose cancer is no longer being controlled by other forms of chemotherapy. (Read about "Cancer Treatments")

CLL primarily affects people older than 50 and arises from a group of white blood cells known as B-cells that are part of the body's immune system. (Read about "The Immune System") Each year, about 16,000 people are diagnosed with CLL and about 4,400 people die from the disease.

Arzerra is a monoclonal antibody, a type of biotechnology product. Antibodies that occur in nature are produced by the immune system in response to invaders. Arzerra binds to a specific protein found on the surface of both normal and malignant B cells, making the cells more susceptible to immune system attack.

Common side effects included a decrease in normal white blood cells, pneumonia (Read about "Pneumonia"), fever, cough, diarrhea, lower red blood cell counts, fatigue, shortness of breath, rash, nausea, bronchitis and upper respiratory tract infections. (Read about "Respiratory System")

The most serious side effects of Arzerra are increased chance of infections, including progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a brain infection that is generally fatal. Patients at high risk for hepatitis B (Read about "Hepatitis B") should be screened before being treated with Arzerra. Patients with evidence of inactive hepatitis should be monitored for re-activation of the infection during and after completing treatment.