Scottish medical regulator approves MabThera as 'maintenance therapy' for lymphoma
THURSDAY 14 DECEMBER 2006
People in Scotland with a type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, who have relapsed, will get access to MabThera on the NHS following a decision by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC). Commenting Kate Law, Cancer Research UK's director of clinical trials, said: "Cancer Research UK welcomes the SMC decision to recommend MabThera as 'maintenance therapy' for Scottish patients with a type of non Hodgkin's lymphoma who have relapsed. "MabThera is already approved throughout the UK as a first-line treatment in combination with other drugs for non Hodgkin's lymphoma but it was also recently licensed for use with these patients, and initial data suggest this may further increase survival.
"More clinical trials are ongoing, and we hope that NICE will reach the same conclusion when it considers this extended use of MabThera in the NHS in England and Wales as well."
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