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Arzerra will be available at no cost to patients via an oncology patient access program which will be facilitated through Patient Access Novartis Oncology.
Genmab has announced that Novartis plans to make Arzerra (ofatumumab) available at no cost to patients in the United States with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Arzerra is developed by Novartis under a licensing agreement between the two pharmaceutical companies.
Novartis, according to a press release, has agreed to pay Genmab a lump sum of $30 million to account for potential lost revenue. The drug will be available at no cost to patients via an oncology patient access program which will be facilitated through Patient Access Novartis Oncology.
Arzerra was first approved in October 2009 to treat patients with CLL who had received all other available therapies. In 2016, the Food and Drug Administration approved Arzerra for the extended treatment of patients with recurrent or progressive CLL who were in complete or partial response following two or more lines of therapy.
There was no indication in the release as to when the program will go into effect.
“We are pleased that patients with CLL who have benefitted from Arzerra can remain on treatment via Novartis’ patient access program,” said Genmab’s CEO Jan van de Winkel in the release.