# Ibritumomab tiuxetan

Source: https://nuclide.cc/drugs/ibritumomab-tiuxetan/  
Nuclide record `ibritumomab-tiuxetan` (Agent). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from Nuclide (nuclide.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Zevalin is an antibody carrying a radioactive isotope that seeks out CD20 on lymphoma cells. It treats follicular lymphoma that has relapsed and is given as a one-off consolidation after chemotherapy.

## Summary

Ibritumomab tiuxetan was the first radioimmunotherapy approved by the FDA, in February 2002, for relapsed or refractory low-grade, follicular or transformed B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma including rituximab-refractory disease (Study 106-06: response in a majority of 54 rituximab-refractory patients), and in 2009 for consolidation after first-line chemotherapy in follicular lymphoma with a response (FIT trial: prolonged progression-free survival). The EU authorised Zevalin in 2004. Despite efficacy and a single-day treatment, use collapsed because of logistics between nuclear medicine and haematology, prolonged cytopenias and competition from rituximab maintenance and later agents; tositumomab (Bexxar) was discontinued in 2014. Severe cytopenias and infusion reactions carry boxed warnings.

## Fields

- Kind: Agent
- Status: approved
- Last checked: 2026-09-10
- Also known as: Y-90 ibritumomab; Zevalin therapeutic regimen
- Tags: nci-list
- Brand: Zevalin
- Modality: Radioimmunotherapy (yttrium-90 labelled anti-CD20 antibody)
- Mechanism: Murine anti-CD20 IgG1 (the parent of rituximab) chelated via tiuxetan to yttrium-90; beta emission delivers radiation to CD20-positive B cells and neighbouring tumour cells (crossfire), given after rituximab to clear circulating B cells.
- Approvals: US 2002: Relapsed or refractory low-grade, follicular or transformed B-cell NHL including rituximab-refractory follicular lymphoma; US 2009: Consolidation after first-line chemotherapy in previously untreated follicular NHL; EU 2004: Rituximab-relapsed or refractory CD20-positive follicular lymphoma; first-line consolidation added 2008

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibritumomab_tiuxetan
- US label (DailyMed): https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/search.cfm?labeltype=all&query=ibritumomab%20tiuxetan
- NCI drug page: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/drugs/ibritumomabtiuxetan
- EPAR: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/EPAR/zevalin

## Connected records

- drugs: [Iodine-131 tositumomab](https://nuclide.cc/drugs/i-131-tositumomab/), [Rituximab](https://nuclide.cc/drugs/rituximab/)
- isotopes: [Yttrium-90](https://nuclide.cc/isotopes/y-90/)
- indications: [Follicular lymphoma](https://nuclide.cc/indications/follicular-lymphoma/)
- technologies: [Radio-antibody & radio-ADC](https://nuclide.cc/technologies/radioimmunotherapy/)
- targets: [CD20](https://nuclide.cc/targets/cd20/)
- companies: [Acrotech Biopharma](https://nuclide.cc/companies/acrotech-biopharma/)
- pairings: [Rituximab pretreatment before ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin)](https://nuclide.cc/pairings/rituximab-then-ibritumomab-tiuxetan/)

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