Overview

Polivy is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of certain types of large B-cell lymphoma. It is indicated in combination with a rituximab product, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisone (R-CHP) for adults with previously untreated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), not otherwise specified (NOS), or high-grade B-cell lymphoma (HGBL) who have an International Prognostic Index score of 2 or greater. It is also approved in combination with bendamustine and a rituximab product for adults with relapsed or refractory DLBCL, NOS, after at least two prior therapies. Polivy is also known by its drug name, polatuzumab vedotin-piiq.

Polivy is a CD79b-directed antibody-drug conjugate. It works by attaching to a protein called CD79b found on B cells (a type of white blood cell involved in lymphoma) and delivering a chemotherapy agent directly into the cancer cells, which helps destroy them.

How do I take it?

Prescribing information states that Polivy is given as an intravenous (IV) infusion every 21 days for a total of six cycles when used for lymphoma. The first infusion is given over 90 minutes. If the first infusion is tolerated, later infusions may be given over 30 minutes. People receiving this drug are premedicated with an antihistamine and an antipyretic (fever-reducing medicine) before each dose to lower the risk of infusion-related reactions. Polivy should be administered exactly as prescribed by a healthcare provider.

Side effects

Common side effects of Polivy when used in combination with R-CHP include peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage causing numbness or tingling), nausea, fatigue, diarrhea, constipation, alopecia (hair loss), and mucositis (inflammation of the lining of the mouth and digestive tract). Common severe laboratory abnormalities include lymphopenia (low lymphocyte count), neutropenia (low neutrophil count), hyperuricemia (high uric acid levels in the blood), and anemia (low red blood cell count). 

When used in combination with bendamustine and a rituximab product, common side effects include neutropenia, thrombocytopenia (low platelet count), anemia, peripheral neuropathy, fatigue, diarrhea, pyrexia (fever), decreased appetite, and pneumonia (lung infection).

Rare but serious side effects may include severe peripheral neuropathy, infusion-related reactions, myelosuppression (decreased bone marrow activity leading to low blood cell counts), serious and opportunistic infections (including bacterial, fungal, or viral infections), progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML, a rare and serious brain infection), tumor lysis syndrome (a rapid release of tumor contents into the blood), hepatotoxicity (liver damage), and embryo-fetal toxicity (harm to an unborn baby).

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Label: Polivy- Polatuzumab Vedotin Injection, Powder, Lyophilized, for Solution — DailyMed