Obinutuzumab

Obinutuzumab (Gazyva®), which received FDA approval on 26 February 2016, began to be used after rituximab in patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma, together with bendamustine followed by obinutuzumab as single therapy. Obinutuzumab has also received approval for use with chlorambucil in untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia. It exerts its effect on cancer cells through B cells, a component of the immune system.

By binding to structures called CD 20 on these protective cells, it enables cancer cells to be destroyed both through direct release of lethal substances and by activating the killing mechanism called complement. The most frequently reported side effects include reactions during injection into the body, decreased white blood cells (neutropenia), decreased platelets (thrombocytopenia), anemia and high fever.