In May 2019, the FDA approved the new combination of Revlimid (lenalidomide; from Celgene) plus Rituxan (rituximab; from Genentech) for the treatment of patients with follicular lymphoma or marginal-zone lymphoma. Both drugs were previously approved for different cancer types.
This new approval was based on the results of 2 clinical trials in patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma or with marginal-zone lymphoma who received Revlimid plus Rituxan or placebo plus Rituxan.
The average time without disease progression was 39.4 months with Revlimid plus Rituxan versus 14.1 months with placebo plus Rituxan. Overall, 80% of the patients with follicular lymphoma responded to Revlimid plus Rituxan therapy versus 55.4% of patients who responded to placebo plus Rituxan; these rates were 65% versus 44%, respectively, in patients with marginal-zone lymphoma.