AbbVie and Genmab report 51% reduction in lymphoma progression risk

AbbVie and Genmab have announced positive results from a Phase 3 study (EPCORE DLBCL-2) evaluating the combination of epcoritamab and R-CHOP for patients newly diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The study met its primary endpoint, demonstrating a 51% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death compared to the standard R-CHOP treatment alone.

Epcoritamab is an immune-based bispecific antibody therapy designed to help T cells attack cancer cells. The trial results showed a hazard ratio of 0.49 with a p-value below 0.0001, indicating statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in progression-free survival. This marks the first late-stage study where a bispecific antibody combination has significantly improved survival in first-line DLBCL treatment.

The safety profile of the combination was reported as generally manageable and consistent with the known profiles of the individual treatments. Following these results, AbbVie and Genmab plan to engage in regulatory discussions. While the results are significant for frontline lymphoma care, epcoritamab has not yet been approved for patients who have not received prior treatment.