Epkinly Approved for Relapsed, Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval to Epkinly (epcoritamab-bysp) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), not otherwise specified, including DLBCL arising from indolent lymphoma, and high-grade B-cell lymphoma after 2 or more lines of systemic therapy.

Epcoritamab is an IgG1-bispecific antibody designed to bind to CD3 on T-cells and CD20 on B-cells, inducing T-cell mediated killing of CD20+ cells. The approval was based on data from the LBCL cohort of the open-label, multicenter phase 2 EPCORE NHL-1 trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03625037), which evaluated subcutaneous epcoritamab in patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphoma.

The efficacy population included 148 patients with DLBCL, not otherwise specified, including DLBCL arising from indolent lymphoma, and high-grade B-cell lymphoma after 2 or more lines of systemic therapy, including an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody-containing therapy.

Results showed an overall response rate (ORR; primary endpoint) of 61% (95% CI, 52.5-68.7), with 38% (95% CI, 30-46.2) of patients having a complete response and 23% (95% CI, 16.5-30.6) having a partial response. The median duration of response was 15.6 months (95% CI, 9.7, not reached).

Commonly reported adverse reactions included cytokine release syndrome (CRS), fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, injection site reactions, pyrexia, abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea. The most common grade 3 to 4 laboratory abnormalities were decreased lymphocyte count, decreased neutrophil count, decreased white blood cell count, decreased hemoglobin, and decreased platelets.

The prescribing information for Epkinly includes a Boxed Warning regarding the potential for CRS and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS). Among 157 study participants, CRS and ICANS occurred in 51% and 6% of patients, respectively. Epkinly should only be administered by a qualified health care professional with appropriate medical support to manage severe reactions such as CRS and ICANS.

Epkinly is administered as a subcutaneous injection. The Epkinly 4mg/0.8mL is supplied as a single-dose vial that must be diluted prior to use. The Epkinly 48mg/0.8mL vial is supplied as ready-to-use solution that does not need dilution prior to administration.

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