The FDA on March 20 approved Seattle Genetics' drug Adcetris to treat advanced forms of Hodgkin lymphoma in combination with chemotherapy.
Adcetris is already approved to treat other types of blood cancer and patients with Hodgkin lymphoma who previously underwent a stem cell transplant or two chemotherapy treatments. The drug may now be used for adult patients with previously untreated stage 3 or 4 classical Hodgkin lymphoma.
The approval marks the first frontline treatment for advanced Hodgkin lymphoma in 40 years.
"We're 100 percent launch-ready," Seattle Genetics CEO Clay Siegall told Reuters. The drugmaker hired 30 new sales representatives to market Adcetris to physicians at community health centers, where they can prescribe the medication during outpatient visits, according to Mr. Siegall.