Zevalin nears approval, according to reports

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Idec Pharmaceuticals Corp. is nearing approval of its latest cancer-fighting radioactive drug, Zevalin.

The company expects to receive notification of a completed review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration May 3 and Zevalin could receive an expert panel review as early as June, according toa company spokesman.

Zevalin hopes to beat Corixa Corp.'s Bexxar, another antibody-based radiotherapy for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, to the marketplace. The FDA asked the maker of Bexxar for additional data on Bexxar, delaying its approval at least nine months. There was concern that the FDA could ask more data on Zevalin, which could similarly delay its approval, the company doesn't think so. Zevalin is a monoclonal antibody tagged with a radioactive yttrium molecule. The radioactive molecule is attached to the antibody by pharmacists. Bexxar has a radioactive iodine molecule is attached earlier in the process.

The FDA has expressed concerns about Bexxar's side effects, which may include damage to a patient's stem cells, the originator of all of the body's blood cells. Zevalin is expected to be an appropriate treatment for about 75,000 patients in the U.S.

Idec also makes Rituxan, for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Its marketing partner Genentech Inc. sells Rituxan, for about $10,300 for the standard four infusions per treatment.