Zevalin (Ibritumomab Tiuxetan) is a novel treatment of lymphoma called radioimmunotherapy. A radiation emitting molecule is attached to a monoclonal antibody that seeks out and binds to cancer cells of lymphoma. The radiation kills the cancer cells to which the drug attaches. This enables the drug to target cancer cells without killing normal body cells that are often damaged by conventional chemo and radiation.

Zevalin had earlier shown great promise in the treatment of some non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) at relapse after standard first-line treatments with chemo and radiation. In many countries of the world, it is approved for second line treatment for follicular (low grade) b-cell lymphomas. Now, based on some very exciting evidence from a large trial, the European Commission has granted approval for using Zevalin in the first-line treatment as a consolidation therapy after standard chemo in follicular lymphomas.

This multinational European study (FIT study) tested the use of a single dose of Zevalin as an additional or consolidation treatment after the completion of standard chemotherapy regimens. The trial showed that this treatment increased the duration of disease control from an average of 1 year to about 3 years. These exciting results have spurred a new wave of excitement regarding Zevalin, a drug which was facing a troubled future and nearly becoming financially non-viable for its manufacturer.