On August 17, 2026 AbelZeta Pharma, Inc. ("AbelZeta" or the "Company"), a global clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative and proprietary cell-based therapeutic products, reported that the Company received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance of IND application for C-CAR039, also known as Prizloncabtagene Autoleucel (Prizlon-cel), an anti-CD20/CD19 bispecific CAR-T, for the treatment of relapsed or refractory (r/r) Large B-cell Lymphoma (LBCL).
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In July 2026, AbelZeta regained all development, regulatory, manufacturing, commercialization, out-licensing and other collaboration rights relating to C-CAR039. The Company is currently working with the FDA to finalize the protocols for clinical development in third- or later-line LBCL patients previously treated with CAR-T therapies and second-line LBCL patients that are CAR-T therapy treatment naïve.
The program is supported by encouraging long-term clinical data presented at European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) in March 2026. Results from 48 patients with r/r B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) enrolled in the Company’s early clinical trials in China demonstrated a favorable safety profile and deep and durable responses, with an overall response rate (ORR) of 91.5% and complete response (CR) rate of 85.1%. Median PFS was 60.1 months at a median follow-up of 53.9 months.
"We are pleased to welcome C-CAR039 back to our hematology malignancy portfolio," said Tony (Bizuo) Liu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AbelZeta. "Clinical trial results to date have demonstrated the favorable safety and encouraging efficacy of C-CAR039 in r/r LBCL patients. We believe that it has potential to help patients who have been treated and relapsed with commercially approved CAR-T therapies. This population has significant unmet medical needs and C-CAR039 represents a solution. We will also explore the potential of C-CAR039 in early lines of LBCL. We remain confident about the potential of C-CAR039 and are fully committed to accelerating the global development of C-CAR039, leveraging our extensive expertise in cell therapy."
The registrational Phase II clinical trial of C-CAR039 for r/r LBCL in CAR-T therapy naïve patients in China is still ongoing.
(Press release, AbelZeta, AUG 17, 2026, View Source [SID1234670158])