Genmab and AbbVie reported that adding epcoritamab to R-CHOP reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 51% in a late-stage study of newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. Epcoritamab is a bispecific antibody that engages T cells to attack cancer cells. The companies said this is the first late-stage bispecific-antibody combination to significantly improve progression-free survival in front-line DLBCL. The combination's safety profile was consistent with prior data, and epcoritamab is not yet approved for newly diagnosed patients.
AbbVie–Genmab Combo Slashes Risk Of Progression Or Death By 51% In Late-Stage Lymphoma Trial
FILE PHOTO: Test tubes are seen in front of a displayed Abbvie logo in this illustration taken, May 21, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
Oct 5 (Reuters) - Genmab and AbbVie reported that adding the bispecific antibody epcoritamab to the standard chemotherapy regimen R-CHOP significantly reduced the risk of disease progression or death in newly diagnosed patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in a late-stage clinical trial.
Study Results
The trial found that the combination of epcoritamab plus R-CHOP reduced the risk of progression or death by 51% compared with R-CHOP alone in first-line, newly diagnosed DLBCL patients. The companies described this as the first late-stage study of a bispecific-antibody combination to demonstrate a significant improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) in front-line DLBCL.
What Epcoritamab Does
Epcoritamab, jointly developed by Genmab and AbbVie, is an immune-based bispecific antibody designed to engage patients' T cells and direct them to kill cancer cells. R-CHOP (a combination chemotherapy regimen) remains the current standard of care for most patients with DLBCL.
Safety And Regulatory Status
The companies said the safety profile of the combination was generally consistent with the known safety data for both epcoritamab and R-CHOP. Epcoritamab has not yet been approved for use in patients at initial diagnosis who have not previously received treatment.
Market Reaction And Notes
US-listed Genmab shares rose about 11% in afternoon trading following the announcement; AbbVie shares gained roughly 1.5%.
Reporting by Sahil Pandey in Bengaluru; Editing by Diti Pujara.
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