Overview

• The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has approved brentuximab vedotin for routine NHS use to treat advanced Hodgkin lymphoma.
• The combination therapy is recommended for previously untreated stage 3 or 4 CD30-positive Hodgkin lymphoma patients, benefiting approximately 800 people annually in the UK.
• Clinical trials, including the ECHELON-1 study, demonstrate the therapy delays disease progression and improves survival compared to standard chemotherapy.
• The treatment, administered as an intravenous infusion, combines brentuximab vedotin with doxorubicin, dacarbazine, and vinblastine.
• Immediate access is ensured through the Cancer Drugs Fund, supported by a confidential pricing agreement with Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, while routine commissioning is finalized.