US FDA approves expanded use of Bristol Myers’ cancer cell therapy

Bristol Myers Squibb received expanded FDA approval for cancer cell therapy Breyanzi, to treat adults with a type of blood cancer called follicular lymphoma that has returned or has not responded to prior treatments.

Breyanzi, which is manufactured in Bothell, Wa., belongs to a class of drugs known as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies that work by modifying white blood cells known as T-cells to attack cancer.

Follicular lymphoma is a common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma where malignant cancer cells form in the lymph system. Patients with this slow-growing type of cancer also experience periods of remission and relapse – with the disease becoming more difficult to treat with each relapse. 

Data from a mid-stage study showed that Breyanzi helped in removing all signs of cancer in 94% of patients who had received at least two prior treatments. Data shows that 97% of patients in the study showed signs of the cancer disappearing or shrinking after treatment with Bristol’s therapy.


READ THE STORY at Reuters »