Celgene's Revlimid gains another FDA indication

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Revlimid (lenalidomide) in combination with a rituximab product (R²) for the treatment of adult patients with previously treated follicular lymphoma (FL) or marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) following Priority Review designation.

This is the first FDA-approved combination treatment regimen for patients with these indolent forms of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) that does not include chemotherapy, says the drug’s marketer, Celgene (Nasdaq: CELG), which is currently the subject of a $74 billion takeover bid from Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY).

In its current indications, the drug generated nearly $10 billion in sales last year, but is facing generic competition in some markets.