Roche gets European Commission nod for fixed duration Columvi for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

DLBCL is an aggressive (fast-growing) type of lymphoma and is one of the most prevalent types of blood cancer among adults. Each year in Europe, an estimated 36,000 people are diagnosed with DLBCL. While many patients with DLBCL are responsive to initial treatment, four out of ten are not cured with the current standard of care, frontline treatment, and the majority of patients who require subsequent lines of therapy have poor outcomes.

“As pioneers in the development of innovative T-cell-engaging bispecific antibodies, we are delighted that we can now offer Columvi as the first approved treatment of its kind to people in Europe,” said Levi Garraway, M.D., Ph.D., Roche’s Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development. “We are confident that thanks to its off-the-shelf availability, fixed-duration regimen and durability, Columvi will positively transform the treatment experience for relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.”

“As the lead investigator for the NP30179 study, I have seen first-hand the early and long-lasting responses that Columvi can induce, when given to patients for a fixed period of time,” said Michael Dickinson, M.D., Ph.D., principal study investigator and Associate Professor, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia. “It is exciting that with this approval, patients in Europe with heavily pre-treated or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma will now have a new, potentially practice-changing treatment option that will allow them time off of therapy to resume their routine activities, helping to alleviate some of the physical and emotional burdens caused by cancer treatment.”

The approval is based on positive results from a pivotal cohort in the phase I/II NP30179 study, where Columvi given as a fixed course induced early and long-lasting responses in people with R/R DLBCL. Overall, 83.3% of patients were refractory to their most recent therapy, 90% were refractory to any previous line of therapy, and about one-third (35.2%) had received prior CAR T-cell therapy. Results showed that Columvi given as a fixed course, induced a complete response (CR; a disappearance of all signs of cancer) in 35.2% (n =38/108) of people, and 50% (n=54/108) achieved an overall response (OR; the combination of CR and partial response, a decrease in the amount of cancer in their body). Among those who achieved a CR, 74.6% (95% CI: 59.19-89.93) continued to experience a response at 12 months, while the median duration of CR was not reached. The median follow-up for duration of response (DOR) was 12.8 months. Median time to first CR was 42 days (95% CI: 41-47). 

Additional data from a larger cohort in the NP30179 study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine reinforce the durability of Columvi. Fixed-duration Columvi resulted in early and long-lasting responses in people with heavily pre-treated or refractory DLBCL, with 39.4% of patients (n=61/155) achieving a CR and a median DOR of 18.4 months. Median time to CR was 42 days (95% CI: 42-44), with the majority of responses reported at the first scheduled response assessment (approximately 1.4 months after the start of treatment). Half of patients (51.6%; n=80/155) achieved an OR. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved Columvi for the treatment of adult patients with R/R DLBCL not otherwise specified or large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) arising from FL, after two or more lines of systemic therapy for the treatment of people with R/R large B cell lymphoma. Columvi is also approved in Canada for the treatment of adult patients with R/R DLBCL not otherwise specified, DLBCL arising from follicular lymphoma (FL), or primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma, who have received two or more lines of systemic therapy and are ineligible to receive or cannot receive CAR T-cell therapy or have previously received CAR T-cell therapy. Submissions to additional health authorities worldwide are ongoing.