Vol. 4 No. 1 (2024)
Reimbursement Recommendations

Ibrutinib (Imbruvica)

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Published January 23, 2024

Key Messages

  • CADTH recommends that Imbruvica, with or without rituximab, should be reimbursed by public drug plans for the treatment of adult patients with previously treated relapsed or refractory Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia (WM) if certain conditions are met.
  • Imbruvica should only be covered to treat adult patients who have WM and have received at least 1 prior line of therapy, have good performance status, and who meet at least 1 criterion for treating WM according to the latest International Workshop on WM criteria.
  • Imbruvica should not be reimbursed for patients who have received prior treatment with a Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor and whose disease responded poorly or for patients with disease transformation. Imbruvica should only be prescribed by hematologists or oncologists with experience in treating patients with WM, and the cost of Imbruvica should be negotiated to provide cost savings for drug programs relative to zanubrutinib.