Phase IIb clinical trials of a monoclonal antibody designed to treat patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) are to be launched, it has been announced.

Drug firm Seattle Genetics said that research into its SGN-40 medicine would be conducted at more than 60 test centres across the world, with around 200 patients expected to be enrolled into the study.

They will be given either SGN-40 or a placebo medication in conjunction with Rituxan and chemotherapy.

Currently, people with the DLBCL are commonly given another monoclonal antibody, Rituximab, alongside a course of chemotherapy.

DLBCL is a form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and according to Cancer BackUp, accounts for around two in every five cases of the disease.

Global healthcare solutions provider Masters can assist institutions carrying out research into new medicines by providing comparator drugs for phase II and III clinical trials.

It can source medications from more than 200 manufacturers across the world and has a controlled drugs licence enabling it to deliver controlled substances to researchers.