Dinutuximab beta in high-risk neuroblastoma: a profile of its use

Dinutuximab beta (Qarziba®), a monoclonal antibody, is indicated to treat high-risk neuroblastoma in patients aged ≥ 12 months in the first-line setting subsequent to front-line treatment with induction chemotherapy, myeloablative therapy and stem cell transplantation (SCT), as well as in the relapsed/refractory setting. It targets disialoganglioside 2, which is highly expressed on neuroblastoma cells. Unlike dinutuximab, which is produced using mouse SP2/0 cells, dinutuximab beta is produced using the more widely used Chinese hamster ovary cells. In both the first-line and relapsed/refractory settings, treatment with dinutuximab beta achieves objective clinical responses in patients with high-risk neuroblastoma. Following standard front-line treatment, survival rates were higher in dinutuximab beta recipients than in historical controls treated in the pre-immunotherapy era. Appropriate measures should be taken to manage toxicities (e.g. neuropathic pain, pyrexia and hypersensitivity reactions) associated with dinutuximab beta treatment. The continuous, 10-day infusion regimen appears to be associated with less toxicity than the once-daily infusion on 5 consecutive days.