Abstract
Results of studies comparing subcutaneous (sc) with intravenous (iv) rituximab indicate that the two formulations are comparable in efficacy, but most patients and health care professionals prefer the sc route, commonly because of shorter chair time and reduced risk of infusion-related reactions. Recent Canadian data, including those from the scuba study reported here, support the results of earlier international studies showing a reduction in preparation and administration time with the sc formulation, lower cost of administration, and reduced drug wastage because of the fixed sc dosing. Given the significant time and cost savings of the sc formulation, that formulation is generally preferred over the iv formulation for the treatment of follicular lymphoma, diffuse large B cell lymphoma, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Highlights
Rituximab is widely used for the treatment of B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, being a key component of most therapeutic regimens[1,2,3,4]
Study results in non-Hodgkin lymphoma indicate that, compared with the 375 mg/m2 iv formulation, the 1400 mg sc formulation is noninferior in pharmacokinetics and is associated with comparable response rates[6,7,8,9,10,11,12]
The average rituximab preparation time was greater with the iv than with the sc formulation [iv: 20.3 minutes; sc: 13.4 minutes; Table ii]
Summary
Rituximab is widely used for the treatment of B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, being a key component of most therapeutic regimens[1,2,3,4]. Complications of iv administration can include the risk of infusion-related reactions, which might result in a burden on health care resources and could impair the patient’s quality of life. To provide a more convenient administration method, a fixed subcutaneous (sc) dose of rituximab 1400 mg was developed. Study results in non-Hodgkin lymphoma indicate that, compared with the 375 mg/m2 iv formulation, the 1400 mg sc formulation is noninferior in pharmacokinetics and is associated with comparable response rates[6,7,8,9,10,11,12]. The sc formulation is preferred by patients and health care providers, and reduces administration and chair time. Additional advantages include a reduced potential for dosing errors and drug wastage because of the fixed dose, reduced preparation time, and fewer infusion-related reactions
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