Gilead’s idelalisib shows promise in treating indolent non-Hodgkin lymphomas

Slow-growing, or indolent, non-Hodgkin lymphomas are difficult to treat, with most patients relapsing repeatedly and the disease becoming increasingly resistant to therapy over time. However, a new drug candidate, idelalisib, from US antivirals major Gilead Sciences (Nasdaq: GILD) appears to offer hope for fighting the disease.

According to a study published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) in advance of its March 13 print issue, reported by EurekAlert, the Phase II study involved 125 patients aged 33 to 87 with indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (iNHL) who had not responded to conventional treatments or had relapsed within six months of therapy. The patients were given a twice-daily dose of idelalisib, a highly selective oral drug that inhibits phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) delta. P13K deltas are a family of enzymes seen in many types of B-cell malignancies.

Following treatment with idelalisib, tumor size shrunk by at least half in 57%of the patients and 6 percent had no measurable evidence of cancer.