AbbVie Announces Late-Breaking Results from Phase 2 Trial of Investigational Epcoritamab (DuoBody®-CD3xCD20) in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Large B-cell Lymphoma (LBCL) at the European Hematology Association (EHA) Annual Congress

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Jun 11, 2022, 08:45 ET

– Epcoritamab shows clinically meaningful efficacy in challenging-to-treat, highly refractory LBCL patients
– Total patient population achieved overall response rate (ORR) of 63 percent and complete response (CR) of 39 percent; CAR T-naïve patients achieved 69 percent ORR and 42 percent CR; patients previously treated with CAR T achieved a 54 percent ORR and 34 percent CR
– Safety profile is consistent with previous findings observed
– Results were reported as part of a late-breaking oral presentation selected for the Presidential Symposium at EHA

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., June 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) today announced primary results from the large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) expansion cohort in the EPCORE™ NHL-1 phase 2 clinical trial evaluating epcoritamab (DuoBody^®-CD3xCD20), an investigational subcutaneous bispecific antibody. In this study, epcoritamab demonstrated efficacy with durable responses in patients who had previously received at least two prior lines of anti-lymphoma therapy including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. These data were presented today in a late-breaking oral presentation as a part of the Presidential Symposium at the 27^thAnnual Meeting of the European Hematology Association (EHA2022) in Vienna, Austria (Abstract #LB2364).

"Large B-cell lymphoma is a fast-growing, difficult to treat type of aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Some treatment approaches like chemotherapy and immunotherapy have been in place for decades and newer treatments like CAR T-cell therapies involve multiple steps before a patient can begin treatment so there is still a need for additional treatment options," said Professor Catherine Thieblemont, head of the Hemato-Oncology Department at Hôpital Saint-Louis, Paris, France. "The data presented today suggest that epcoritamab has the potential to provide patients living with LBCL an accessible, effective treatment with a safety profile that may fulfill an unmet need."

The study cohort, which included 157 relapsed/refractory LBCL patients, previously treated with a median of three lines of prior therapy, demonstrated an overall response rate (ORR) of 63 percent and a complete response (CR) rate of 39 percent. Baseline characteristics included 61 percent of patients who were refractory to primary treatment, 20 percent who had prior autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT), and 39 percent who were treated with CAR T-cell therapy (75 percent of those refractory to CAR T). Patients enrolled in the study who were naïve to CAR T-cell therapy achieved a 69 percent ORR and a 42 percent CR and patients who received prior CAR T-cell therapy achieved a 54 percent ORR and a 34 percent CR. After a median follow up of 10.7 months, the median duration of response (mDOR) was estimated to be 12 months, while the mDOR among patients achieving a CR was not reached, with 89 percent still in CR at nine months. Topline results from this study were previously announced in April 2022.

The safety profile of epcoritamab was consistent with previous findings. The majority of treatment-emergent AEs (TEAEs) occurred during the first 12 weeks of treatment and resolved. The most common TEAEs of any grade (greater than or equal to 15 percent) included cytokine release syndrome (CRS) (49.7 percent), pyrexia (23.6 percent), fatigue (22.9 percent), neutropenia (21.7 percent), diarrhea (20.4 percent), injection site reaction (19.7 percent), nausea (19.7 percent) and anemia (17.8 percent). The most common Grade 3 or 4 TEAEs (greater than or equal to 5 percent) included neutropenia (14.6 percent), anemia (10.2 percent), neutrophil count decrease (6.4 percent), and thrombocytopenia (5.7 percent). The observed Grade 3 CRS was 2.5 percent. No Grade 4/5 CRS was observed.

"The epcoritamab data suggests a potentially compelling clinical profile for patients with relapsed/refractory LBCL, which currently have limited treatment options," said Mohamed Zaki, M.D., Ph.D., vice president and head, global oncology development, AbbVie. "Our partnership with Genmab allows us to continue exploring new standards of care for patients with blood cancer."

Epcoritamab is being co-developed by AbbVie and Genmab as part of the companies' broad oncology collaboration. The companies remain committed to evaluating epcoritamab as a monotherapy, and in combination, across lines of therapy for a variety of hematologic malignancies, including an ongoing phase 3, open-label, randomized trial evaluating epcoritamab as a monotherapy in patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) (NCT: 04628494).

About Large B-cell Lymphoma (LBCL)
LBCL is a fast-growing type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) – a cancer that develops in the lymphatic system – that affects B-cell lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. There are an estimated 150,000 new LBCL cases each year globally. LBCL includes DLBCL, which is the most common type of NHL worldwide and accounts for approximately 31 percent of all NHL cases.^1,2,3,4

About the EPCORE™ NHL-1 Trial
EPCORE™ NHL-1 an open-label, multi-center safety and preliminary efficacy trial of epcoritamab including a phase 1 first-in-human, dose escalation part; a phase 2 expansion part; and an optimization part. The trial was designed to evaluate subcutaneous epcoritamab in patients with relapsed, progressive or refractory CD20+ mature B-NHL, including LBCL and DLBCL, the most common subtype of LBCL. The dose escalation findings, which determined the recommended phase 2 dose, were published in The Lancet in 2021. In the phase 2 expansion part, additional patients are treated with epcoritamab to further explore the safety and efficacy of epcoritamab in three cohorts of patients with different types of relapsed/refractory B-NHLs who had limited therapeutic options.

The primary endpoint of the phase 2 expansion part was ORR as assessed by an IRC. Secondary efficacy endpoints included duration of response, complete response rate, progression-free survival, and time to response as determined by the Lugano criteria. Overall survival, time to next therapy, and rate of minimal residual disease negativity were evaluated as secondary efficacy endpoints.

About Epcoritamab
Epcoritamab is an investigational IgG1-bispecific antibody created using Genmab's proprietary DuoBody technology. Genmab's DuoBody-CD3 technology is designed to direct cytotoxic T cells selectively to elicit an immune response towards target cell types. Epcoritamab is designed to simultaneously bind to CD3 on T cells and CD20 on B-cells and induces T cell mediated killing of CD20+ cells.⁵ CD20 is expressed on B-cells and a clinically validated therapeutic target in many B-cell malignancies, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.^6,7 Epcoritamab is being co-developed by Genmab and AbbVie as part of the companies' broad oncology collaboration.

About AbbVie in Oncology
At AbbVie, we are committed to transforming standards of care for multiple blood cancers while advancing a dynamic pipeline of investigational therapies across a range of cancer types. Our dedicated and experienced team joins forces with innovative partners to accelerate the delivery of potentially breakthrough medicines. We are evaluating more than 20 investigational medicines in over 300 clinical trials across some of the world's most widespread and debilitating cancers. As we work to have a remarkable impact on people's lives, we are committed to exploring solutions to help patients obtain access to our cancer medicines. For more information, please visit http://www.abbvie.com/oncology.

About AbbVie
AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care, virology, women's health and gastroenterology, in addition to products and services across its Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.

AbbVie Forward-Looking Statements
Some statements in this news release are, or may be considered, forward-looking statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project" and similar expressions, among others, generally identify forward-looking statements. AbbVie cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, failure to realize the expected benefits from AbbVie's acquisition of Allergan plc ("Allergan"), failure to promptly and effectively integrate Allergan's businesses, competition from other products, challenges to intellectual property, difficulties inherent in the research and development process, adverse litigation or government action, changes to laws and regulations applicable to our industry and the impact of public health outbreaks, epidemics or pandemics, such as COVID-19. Additional information about the economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors that may affect AbbVie's operations is set forth in Item 1A, "Risk Factors," of AbbVie's 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as updated by its subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. AbbVie undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent events or developments, except as required by law.

¹ "Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma." Lymphoma Research Foundation, https://www.lymphoma.org/aboutlymphoma/nhl/dlbcl/. Date accessed: 7 June 2022.
² "Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma." Lymphoma Research Foundation, https://lymphoma.org/aboutlymphoma/nhl/. Date accessed: 7 June 2022.
³ Sehn, Salles. "Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma." N Engl J Med. 2021;384:842-858. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMra2027612
⁴ Martelli, Ferreri, Agostinelli, et al. "Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma." Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2013;87(2):146-71. DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2012.12.009
⁵ Engelberts et al. "DuoBody-CD3xCD20 induces potent T-cell-mediated killing of malignant B cells in preclinical models and provides opportunities for subcutaneous dosing." EBioMedicine. 2020;52:102625. DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2019.102625
⁶ Rafiq, Butchar, Cheney, et al. "Comparative Assessment of Clinically Utilized CD20-Directed Antibodies in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Cells Reveals Divergent NK Cell, Monocyte, and Macrophage Properties." J. Immunol. 2013;190(6):2702-2711. DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1202588
⁷ Singh, Gupta, Almasan. "Development of Novel Anti-Cd20 Monoclonal Antibodies and Modulation in Cd20 Levels on Cell Surface: Looking to Improve Immunotherapy Response." J Cancer Sci Ther. 2015;7(11):347-358. DOI: 10.4172/1948-5956.1000373