A Study to Evaluate Safety, Efficacy and Pharmacokinetics of Rituximab (MabThera/Rituxan) in Participants With Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) or Follicular Lymphoma (FL)

An AE was any untoward medical occurrence in a participant administered a pharmaceutical product and which did not necessarily have to have a causal relationship with the treatment. An adverse event was therefore any unfavourable and unintended sign (including an abnormal laboratory finding, for example), symptom, or disease temporally associated with the use of a pharmaceutical product, whether or not considered related to the pharmaceutical product. Pre-existing conditions which worsened during the study were also considered as adverse events. Grading was completed according to the CTCAE, version 4.0.

Grading of IIRRs was completed according to the CTCAE, version 4.0.

SAE was defined as any experience that suggested a significant hazard, contraindication, side effect, or precaution, and fulfilled any of the following criteria: fatal (resulted in death), life-threatening, required in-patient hospitalization or prolongation of existing hospitalization, resulted in persistent or significant disability/incapacity, was a congenital anomaly/ birth defect, was medically significant or required intervention to prevent any of the other outcomes listed here.

EFS was defined as the time from first dose of rituximab to first occurrence of progression or relapse, according to the International Working Group (IWG) response criteria or other country standards, or initiation of a non-protocol-specified anti-lymphoma therapy or death, whichever occurred first.

PFS was defined as the time from first dose of rituximab to the first occurrence of disease progression or relapse, according to the International Working Group (IWG) response criteria or other country standards, or death from any cause, whichever occurred first.

OS was defined as the time from first dose of rituximab to death from any cause.

DFS assessed in participants achieving complete response (CR) including complete response unconfirmed (Cru) and was defined as the period from 4 to 8 weeks after end of Induction period up to relapse or death from any cause, whichever occured first.

Complete response required: 1) the complete disappearance of all detectable clinical and radiographic evidence of disease and disappearance of all disease-related symptoms if present before therapy, and normalization of those biochemical abnormalities, 2) all lymph nodes and nodal masses had regressed to normal size, 3) the spleen, if considered to be enlarged before therapy on the basis of a CT scan, must have regressed in size and not be palpable on physical examination and 4) if the bone marrow was involved by lymphoma before treatment, the infiltrate was cleared on repeat bone marrow aspirate and biopsy of the same site. CR/unconfirmed (CRu) included those patients who fulfilled criteria 1 and 3 above as well as 1) a residual lymph node mass greater than 1.5 cm in greatest transverse diameter that regressed by more than 75% in the SPD and 2) indeterminate bone marrow. Response was assessed according to the IWG response criteria.

FL participants could be enrolled during induction or maintenance phase and they should have received at least 1 infusion of rituximab and must have been able to receive at least 4 cycles of rituximab SC if enrolled during induction or 4 cycles of rituximab SC if enrolled during maintenance. Pharmacokinetic (PK) data only collected for participants enrolled during Induction. During the induction phase each Cycle is 21 days.

FL participants could be enrolled during induction or maintenance phase and they should have received at least 1 infusion of rituximab and must have been able to receive at least 4 cycles of rituximab SC if enrolled during induction or 4 cycles of rituximab SC if enrolled during maintenance. PK data only collected for participants enrolled during Induction. During the induction phase each Cycle is 21 days.

FL participants could be enrolled during induction or maintenance phase and they should have received at least 1 infusion of rituximab and must have been able to receive at least 4 cycles of rituximab SC if enrolled during induction or 4 cycles of rituximab SC if enrolled during maintenance. PK data only collected for participants enrolled during Induction. During the induction phase each Cycle is 21 days.

DLBCL participants received at least 1 infusion of rituximab and must have been able to receive at least 4 cycles of rituximab SC; therefore DLBCL participants could be enrolled at Cycle 2, Cycle 3, Cycle 4, or Cycle 5 and as a result the baseline PK sample could be collected at Cycle 2, Cycle 3, Cycle 4, or Cycle 5. Each Cycle is 21 days.

DLBCL participants received at least 1 infusion of rituximab and must have been able to receive at least 4 cycles of rituximab SC; therefore DLBCL participants could be enrolled at Cycle 2, Cycle 3, Cycle 4, or Cycle 5 and as a result the baseline PK sample could be collected at Cycle 2, Cycle 3, Cycle 4, or Cycle 5. Each Cycle is 21 days.

DLBCL participants received at least 1 infusion of rituximab and must have been able to receive at least 4 cycles of rituximab SC; therefore DLBCL participants could be enrolled at Cycle 2, Cycle 3, Cycle 4, or Cycle 5 and as a result the baseline PK sample could be collected at Cycle 2, Cycle 3, Cycle 4, or Cycle 5. Each Cycle is 21 days.

DLBCL participants received at least 1 infusion of rituximab and must have been able to receive at least 4 cycles of rituximab SC; therefore DLBCL participants could be enrolled at Cycle 2, Cycle 3, Cycle 4, or Cycle 5 and as a result the baseline PK sample could be collected at Cycle 2, Cycle 3, Cycle 4, or Cycle 5. Each Cycle is 21 days.

DLBCL participants received at least 1 infusion of rituximab and must have been able to receive at least 4 cycles of rituximab SC; therefore DLBCL participants could be enrolled at Cycle 2, Cycle 3, Cycle 4, or Cycle 5 and as a result the baseline PK sample could be collected at Cycle 2, Cycle 3, Cycle 4, or Cycle 5. Each Cycle is 21 days.

DLBCL participants received at least 1 infusion of rituximab and must have been able to receive at least 4 cycles of rituximab SC; therefore DLBCL participants could be enrolled at Cycle 2, Cycle 3, Cycle 4, or Cycle 5 and as a result the baseline PK sample could be collected at Cycle 2, Cycle 3, Cycle 4, or Cycle 5. Each Cycle is 21 days.

DLBCL participants received at least 1 infusion of rituximab and must have been able to receive at least 4 cycles of rituximab SC; therefore DLBCL participants could be enrolled at Cycle 2, Cycle 3, Cycle 4, or Cycle 5 and as a result the baseline PK sample could be collected at Cycle 2, Cycle 3, Cycle 4, or Cycle 5. Each Cycle is 21 days.

Plasma concentrations of rituximab in participants with DLBCL by chemotherapy regimen cyclophosphamide, oncovine (vincristine), doxorubicin, prednisone/prednisolone given every 14 days (R-CHOP-14) or cyclophosphamide, oncovine (vincristine), doxorubicin, prednisone/prednisolone given every 21 days (R-CHOP-21) in the PK) population.DLBCL participants received at least 1 infusion of rituximab and must have been able to receive at least 4 cycles of rituximab SC; therefore DLBCL participants could be enrolled at Cycle 2, Cycle 3, Cycle 4, or Cycle 5 and as a result the baseline PK sample could be collected at Cycle 2, Cycle 3, Cycle 4, or Cycle 5. Each Cycle is 21 days.

Patient-assessed satisfaction was evaluated using RASQ. Participants were asked questions regarding convenience and satisfaction for rituximab SC. Each domain is scored on a scale of 0 to 100, with higher scores indicative of more positive feelings toward therapy. The score for each domain was averaged among all participants. DLBCL participants could be enrolled at cycle 2, cycle 3, or cycle 4. FL participants could be enrolled during induction or maintenance phase and they should have received at least 1 infusion of rituximab and must be able to receive at least 4 cycles of rituximab SC if enrolled during induction or 4 cycles of rituximab SC if enrolled during maintenance. Each Cycle is 21 days for DLBCL. Each Cycle 21 days during the Induction phase and 2 months during Maintenance phase for FL.