Revlimid effective in advanced NHL patients

US drugmaker Celgene has reported data from a Phase II study of Revlimid (lenalidomide) in relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. According to the findings, the multiple myeloma drug, as an oral monotherapy, demonstrated activity in patients at an advanced stage of the disease who had received a median of four prior treatments and had limited treatment options.

Of 49 patients eligible for response evaluation in the study, an objective response was observed in 35%, with 12% exhibiting a complete or unconfirmed complete response. Activity was also seen in other lymphoma subtypes, including diffuse large B-cell, follicular grade 3 and transformed.

In the mid-stage evaluation, the most common grade 4 adverse events were neutropenia (8.2%) and thrombocytopenia (8.2%) and the most common grade 3 adverse events were neutropenia (24.5%), leukopenia (14.3%) and thrombocytopenia (12.2%).