Pixantrone for the treatment of aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Abstract

Importance of the field: At present there is no standard treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma who progress following second-line therapy. Anthracyclines are highly active drugs, but their use in this setting is limited by cumulative cardiac toxicity. Pixantrone is a new aza-anthracenedione structurally similar to mitoxantrone and anthracyclines. This compound has been developed to minimize cardiac toxicity without reducing efficacy.

Areas covered in this review: This review summarizes the preclinical and clinical trial data for the use of pixantrone for the treatment of aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

What the reader will gain: An overview of the mechanism of action of pixantrone, preclinical data, clinical efficacy, safety data and future developments for this compound.

Take home message: Pixantrone has been shown to be superior to other single-agent therapies for the salvage treatment of relapsed/refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The pixantrone application will be submitted to the regulatory authorities in the USA and in Europe.