Bexxar Approved by FDA

Cancer drug was developed at U-M

The final hurdle in a long journey from laboratory research to clinical treatment was crossed on June 30 with a simple announcement from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Bexxar© — a new cancer therapy conceived and developed by scientists at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center — was approved for use in patients with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. In September, the drug also was approved for Medicare reimbursement.

Mark Kaminski speaks with patient Richard Lowenthal, one of the first Bexxar recipients, as nuclear medicine technician Denise Regan administers the drug. Photo: Martin Vloet

Non-Hodgkins lymphoma affects the blood, bone marrow and lymphatic tissues and is the nation's sixth-leading cause of cancer death. Bexxar combines an antibody that seeks out cancer cells with a radioactive form of iodine. The drug binds to a protein found only on the surface of tumor cells and delivers a high concentration of targeted cell-killing radiation, with minimal damage to normal tissue.

Mark Kaminski, M.D., professor of internal medicine, developed Bexxar with Richard Wahl, M.D., formerly at the U-M Medical School and who is now professor and chair of nuclear medicine at Johns Hopkins University Medical Center, in collaboration with scientists at Coulter Corporation, which was later acquired by Corixa Corporation. Bexxar will be co-marketed in the U.S. by Corixa and GlaxoSmithKline.

-KG

For an expanded version:
www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2003/medicarebexxar.htm

To learn more about non-Hodgkins lymphoma:
www.cancer.med.umich.edu/learn/lymphomainfo.htm

For more information on Bexxar from its manufacturer:
www.bexxar.com