Odronextamab Recommended for EU Approval by the CHMP to Treat Relapsed/Refractory Follicular Lymphoma and Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma
TARRYTOWN, N.Y., June 28, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) today announced that the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has adopted a positive opinion recommending conditional marketing authorization of odronextamab to treat adults with relapsed/refractory (R/R) follicular lymphoma (FL) or R/R diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), after two or more lines of systemic therapy. The European Commission is expected to announce a final decision in the coming months.
FL and DLBCL are the two most common subtypes of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL). While FL is a slow-growing subtype, it is an incurable disease, and most patients will relapse after initial treatment. DLBCL is an aggressive subtype, with up to 50% of high-risk patients experiencing progression after first-line treatment (e.g., relapsing or refractory to treatment). It is estimated that approximately 120,000 FL cases and 163,000 DLBCL cases are diagnosed annually worldwide. In Europe, it is estimated that approximately 15,000 FL cases and 31,000 DLBCL cases are diagnosed each year.
The positive CHMP opinion is supported by results from the Phase 1 ELM-1 and pivotal Phase 2 ELM-2 trials, which demonstrated robust, durable response rates and an acceptable safety profile of odronextamab in adults with R/R FL or R/R DLBCL. In a pooled safety population, the most common serious adverse reactions were cytokine release syndrome, pneumonia, COVID-19 and pyrexia.
The EMA previously granted odronextamab Orphan Designation for both FL and DLBCL. Odronextamab is currently under clinical development and has not been approved by any regulatory authority.
Regeneron continues to evaluate the use of odronextamab as a monotherapy and in combination across earlier lines of therapy in challenging-to-treat lymphomas. This includes the registrational ELM-1 and ELM-2 studies, the Phase 3 OLYMPIA development program, which is one of the largest clinical programs in lymphoma evaluating odronextamab in earlier lines of therapy and additional B-NHLs, as well as early-stage trials with chemotherapy-free combinations.
About the Odronextamab Clinical Trial Program
Odronextamab is an investigational CD20xCD3 bispecific antibody designed to bridge CD20 on cancer cells with CD3-expressing T cells to facilitate local T-cell activation and cancer-cell killing.
ELM-1 is an ongoing, open-label, multicenter Phase 1 trial to investigate the safety and tolerability of odronextamab in patients with CD20+ B-cell malignancies previously treated with CD20-directed antibody therapy, including a cohort of patients who had progressed after CAR-T therapy.
ELM-2 is an ongoing, open-label, multicenter Phase 2 trial investigating odronextamab across five independent disease-specific cohorts, including DLBCL, FL, mantle cell lymphoma, marginal zone lymphoma and other subtypes of B-NHL. The primary endpoint is objective response rate according to the Lugano Classification as assessed by independent review committee, and secondary endpoints include complete response, progression-free survival, overall survival and duration of response.
In addition to the Phase 3 OLYMPIA development program, Regeneron is investigating odronextamab in combination with a costimulatory bispecific antibody, REGN5837 (CD22xCD28), and Regeneron’s PD-1 inhibitor cemiplimab for R/R aggressive B-NHL through the ATHENA-1 and CLIO-1 studies, respectively. For more information, visit the Regeneron clinical trials website, or contact clinicaltrials@regeneron.com or +1 844-734-6643.
About Regeneron in Hematology
At Regeneron, we’re applying more than three decades of biology expertise with our proprietary VelociSuite® technologies to develop medicines for patients with diverse blood cancers and rare blood disorders.
Our blood cancer research is focused on bispecific antibodies that are being investigated both as monotherapies and in combination with each other and emerging therapeutic modalities. Together, they provide us with unique combinatorial flexibility to develop customized and potentially synergistic cancer treatments.
Our research and collaborations to develop potential treatments for rare blood disorders include explorations in antibody medicine, gene editing and gene-knockout technologies, and investigational RNA approaches focused on depleting abnormal proteins or blocking disease-causing cellular signaling.
About Regeneron
Regeneron (NASDAQ: REGN) is a leading biotechnology company that invents, develops and commercializes life-transforming medicines for people with serious diseases. Founded and led by physician-scientists, our unique ability to repeatedly and consistently translate science into medicine has led to numerous approved treatments and product candidates in development, most of which were homegrown in our laboratories. Our medicines and pipeline are designed to help patients with eye diseases, allergic and inflammatory diseases, cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, neurological diseases, hematologic conditions, infectious diseases, and rare diseases.
Regeneron pushes the boundaries of scientific discovery and accelerates drug development using our proprietary technologies, such as VelociSuite®, which produces optimized fully human antibodies and new classes of bispecific antibodies. We are shaping the next frontier of medicine with data-powered insights from the Regeneron Genetics Center® and pioneering genetic medicine platforms, enabling us to identify innovative targets and complementary approaches to potentially treat or cure diseases.
For more information, please visit www.Regeneron.com or follow Regeneron on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook or X.
Forward-Looking Statements and Use of Digital Media
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