Doctors criticise leukaemia drug study into MabThera (also known as rituximab).

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Three Australian oncologists say cancer treatment research published in one of the world's most prestigious medical journals may have been compromised by a drug company that funded the study.

They said publication of the research in The Lancet might have boosted the drug's perceived value to doctors and patients around the world, helping its manufacturer, Roche, make billions of dollars from the product.

To read the full story click HERE.

Trial to look at adding rituximab and mitoxantrone to fludarabine and cyclophosphamide to treat CLL

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This trial is looking at adding rituximab and mitoxantrone to fludarabine and cyclophosphamide to treat people with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

Doctors often use chemotherapy to treat chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). One of the combinations of chemotherapy they use is fludarabine and cyclophosphamide.

We know from research that adding rituximab or mitoxantrone to fludarabine and cyclophosphamide may be better for treating CLL than fludarabine and cyclophosphamide alone.
Rituximab is a biological therapy called a monoclonal antibody. Rituximab works by attaching itself to a protein on the leukaemia cell. This makes it easier for the immune system to find the leukaemia cells and kill them. We know from research that a smaller dose of rituximab may be as good as or better than the standard dose used currently for CLL.

To read the full article click HERE to visit the Cancer Research UK Website.

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