A new drug treatment regime for patients living with different forms of lymphoma is undergoing phase II clinical trials in the US, it has been announced.

Drug firms Pharmion Corporation and MethylGene are examining how two of their drugs - Pharmion's Vidaza and Methyl's MGCD0103 - perform when given to patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma or non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Both are cancers of the lymphatic system, with Hodgkin lymphoma the rarer of the two.

Approximately 75 patients are to be enrolled in the trial, with each receiving MGCD0103 orally and 75mg of Vidaza administered either intravenously or subcutaneously.

In a statement, the firms said they hoped "to determine the overall response rate, progression free survival and duration of response".

MGCD0103 already has orphan drug designation from the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma, with the US Food and Drug Administration also granting orphan status to the medicine.

Masters can help healthcare providers source drugs for rare conditions through its named patient supply programme, which can help meet the unique unmet needs of people around the world.