Zevalin

Saw this article about Zevalin, and thought it was kind of cool. Actually, it's not about Zevalin so much as about a doctor who's making a push for Zevalin to be used more often.

Zevalin, as long-time readers know, is essentially a radioactive version of Rituxin. Liquid cancers like Lymphoma don't respond well to traditional radiation treatments because the cells won't hold still and keep moving through the blood stream. Zevalin takes a monoclonal antibody, which targets and latches on to the cancer cells, and uses it to deliver a dose of radiation to the cells, wiping them out. It's been a pretty successful therapy for lots of people, and is especially used by those who were unsuccessful with a stem cell transplant. Zevalin delivers hope along with that dose of radiation.

The problem with Zevalin is that it's complicated to administer; you need a team of people familar with both oncological practices and radioactive medicine, and the insurance issues are apparently complicated, too.

But as the doctor in this article (his name is Roger Macklis) points out, it's worth it. He's been trying to get more oncologists to try this treatment, particularly by pushing it in combination with traditional chemotherapy. The logic, I think, is that oncologists are familiar with chemo, so the combo may make it all seem a little less radical. The FDA is considering the Zevalin/chemo combo for approval, and will make a decision by July.

Macklis calls Zevalin (and Bexxar, another RadioImmunoTherapy" a "classic disruptive technology," something that makes us completely rethink how we approach something because the new approach is cheaper and better. He came to this conclusion because of his experience with a patient named Betsy (who is, coincidentally enough, a member of my online support group).

Zevalin has been passed around some, with different companies owning the patent, because it's had some trouble becoming accepted (and thus becoming profitable). I've written about Zevalin before -- its effectiveness, its problems, and my fear that it will be allowed to die off from lack of use. It has survived a few times in the past because of FDA approval for expanded use. Here's hoping that happens again in July.