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BIOGEN IDEC PROVIDES UPDATE ON ZEVALIN TRIAL

December 13, 2005

Biogen Idec has announced that new data demonstrate that patients may benefit from earlier and consolidated use of Zevalin (ibritumomabtiuxetan) radioimmunotherapy in refractory and hard-to-treat cancers, including diffused large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), mantle cell lymphoma, and follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The Phase II study is exploring the feasibility and effectiveness of first-line use of Zevalin and standard rituximab-plus-chemotherapy (R-CHOP) in older patients with high-risk DLBCL, a disease that represents approximately one-third of all lymphomas and primarily impacts people over 60 years of age.

Patients received R-CHOP chemotherapy at standard doses forinduction therapy. After hematologic recovery and R-CHOP restaging, patients were eligible for Zevalin, which was given six to nine weeks post-R-CHOP.

No patients receiving the full treatment regimen of Zevalin and R-CHOP relapsed, with 21-month median follow-up. In addition, sequential R-CHOP followed by Zevalin was associated with manageable toxicities.