Norwalk, CT - The US Food and Drug Administration recently granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for the promising new cancer therapy Ibrutinib. Ibrutinib has shown remarkable results in clinical trials to treat a variety of non-Hodgkin lymphomas as well as chronic lymphocytic leukemia. It is not yet available for general use but is available in ongoing research studies. The Breakthrough status applies to the treatment of relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma and Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia.
Norwalk Hospital is participating in the SPARK study, in which all eligible participants with mantle cell lymphoma receive the orally administered medicine Ibrutinib. According to Dr. Richard Frank, medical oncologist and Director of Cancer Research at Norwalk Hospital, "the Breakthrough Therapy Designation represents an important step towards accelerating drug development timelines and ultimately making this important medicine available to all the patients who need it." The Designation was created to speed up the development and review of treatments that may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies.
For information on the SPARK study and other cancer research trials at Norwalk Hospital, contact Jennifer Long, APRN at 203-852-2996.
