Pixantrone for the treatment of adult patients with multiply relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma

315 ISSN 2045-1393 10.2217/IJH.13.39 © 2013 Future Medicine Ltd Int. J. Hematol. Oncol. (2013) 2(4), 315–323 SUMMARY There is a clear need for efficacious, well-tolerated therapies in patients with multiply relapsed or refractory aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Pixantrone is a novel aza-anthracenedione manufactured by Cell Therapeutics Incorporated. Structurally related to anthracyclines and anthracenediones but engineered to minimize cardiotoxicity whilst maintaining efficacy, pixantrone has shown promise in Phase II and III clinical trials as a single agent and in combination. While further prospective studies are required to establish pixantrone as a standard salvage therapy, it has already received approval in the EU as monotherapy for adult patients with multiply relapsed or refractory aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Here we review the pharmacology, preclinical and clinical development of this novel agent and consider potential future utility.