Chicago Blood Cancer Foundation

Radioimmunotherapy has been a life-saving treatment for many people diagnosed with low grade lymphomas, particularly follicular lymphomas.  Many patients that failed other available options, have experienced enduring remissions with RIT.  We know many people who are in remission 10 years after treatment. 

Many of us fought hard  --  and successfully -- in 2007 to prevent the government from effectively taking RIT off the market through Centers for Medicare Services (CMS) Medicare reimbursement policy.  The latest concern of several patient advocates stems from a recent announcement from GlaxoSmithKline, which manufacturers Bexxar.  In a recent letter, Ask  states:  "Effective November 1, 2010, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) will now make BEXXAR® (Tositumomab and Iodine I 131 Tositumomab) available on a pre-determined schedule. This means that Bexxar will not be available to ship  on-demand.  GKS says that it did not enter into this decision lightly, but the infrequent demand for Bexxar coupled with its significant production costs, meant that its on-demand service would not be sustainable."

Many believe that Bexxar and Zevalin have been under used.  There are several reasons for this apart from medicare reimbursement issues, including lack of education of patients and physicians alike about RIT and its effectiveness and physicians practicing at facilities without the capability of administering RIT because of the radio active elements who simply do not inform patients or encourage patients to go to another center for RIT.  Zavalin is very effective for many patients.  Bexxar uses a different CD-20 antibody that binds to a different part of the protein and it evokes a different immunological response than what Rituxan, which is what is used in Zevalin uses. Patients benefit by having the choice of drugs.  

It is important to note that Bexxar remains available.  Patient advocates and physicians are attempting to ascertain the impact of the decrease in production.  An on-line petition circulated by advocates resulted in over 1,200 signatures in just a few days.  http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/bexxar.  Unfortunately, CMS failed to make the appropriate changes to its reinmbursement rule.   We devoted the entire November 16, 2010 "Battling and Beating Cancer" Radio show to RIT.  You can listen to that show on demand.