Brentuximab vedotin
Encyclopedia
Brentuximab vedotin is an antibody-drug conjugate
Antibody-drug conjugate
Antibody-drug conjugates are a new type of targeted therapy, used for example for cancer. They consist of an antibody linked to a payload drug . Hence, they are a type of immunoconjugate and often an immunotoxin.The antibody causes the ADC to bind to the target cancer cells...

 approved to treat anaplastic large cell lymphoma
Anaplastic large cell lymphoma
Anaplastic large-cell lymphoma is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that features in the World Health Organisation classification of lymphomas.Its name derives from anaplasia and large-cell lymphoma.-Signs and symptoms:...

 (ALCL) and Hodgkin lymphoma. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...

 granted the agent an accelerated approval on August 19, 2011 for use against these two diseases.
It is marketed as Adcetris.

The compound consists of the chimeric monoclonal antibody brentuximab (which targets the cell-membrance protein CD30
CD30
CD30, also known as TNFRSF8, is a cell membrane protein of the tumor necrosis factor receptor family and tumor marker.This receptor is expressed by activated, but not by resting, T and B cells. TRAF2 and TRAF5 can interact with this receptor, and mediate the signal transduction that leads to the...

) linked to three to five units of the antimitotic agent monomethyl auristatin E
Monomethyl auristatin E
Monomethyl auristatin E is a synthetic antineoplastic agent. Because of its toxicity, it cannot be used as a drug itself; instead, it is linked to a monoclonal antibody which directs it to the cancer cells...

 (MMAE, reflected by the 'vedotin' in the drug's name). The antibody portion of the drug attaches to CD30 on the surface of malignant cells, delivering MMAE which is responsible for the anti-tumour activity. Hence it is an antibody-drug conjugate.

In a 2010 clinical trial
Clinical trial
Clinical trials are a set of procedures in medical research and drug development that are conducted to allow safety and efficacy data to be collected for health interventions...

, 34% of patients with refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma achieved complete remission and another 40% had partial remission. Tumor reductions were achieved in 94% of patients. In ALCL, 87% of patients had tumors shrink at least 50% and 97% of patients had some tumors shrinkage.

On 28 February 2011 a Biologics License Application (BLA) was submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...

(FDA) for the use of brentuximab vedotin in relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma and relapsed or refractory systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma. Both indications were approved by the FDA in Aug 2011.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK