How is Arzerra administered and how long to work?

Arzerra (ofatumumab) is administered by an intravenous infusion. It is diluted into a sterile bag of 1000mL sodium chloride for intravenous infusion which is then hung up and the infusion administered into one of your veins via an intravenous line. How long the infusion takes depends on your stage of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) and if you have had treatment before, but initially Arzerra is usually administered over about 6 hours. The time of the infusion may be shortened, depending on how well you tolerate Arzerra.

How long does it take Arzerra to work?

Arzerra starts working right away but it may take several months before a difference is noted in the progression of your cancer. Trials investigating Arzerra for CLL looked at progression free survival and reported:

• For patients assigned Arzerra with chlorambucil their previously untreated CLL did not worsen for a median of 22 months, compared to 13 months to those assigned chlorambucil alone
• 82% of patients had a response including 12% whose cancer went away
• The responses lasted for an average of 22 months.

In those people whose CLL had relapsed:

• The disease did not get worse for an average of 29 months in those assigned Arzerra plus fludarabine plus cyclophosphamide, compared to 19 months to those assigned just fludarabine and cyclophosphamide
• 84% of patients had a response including 29% whose cancer went away
• Patients lived for an average of 56 months.