On September 13, 2021 ADC Therapeutics SA (NYSE: ADCT), a commercial-stage biotechnology company leading the development of novel antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) to treat hematological malignancies and solid tumors, reported that the European Commission has granted Orphan Drug Designation to ZYNLONTA, a CD19-targeted ADC, for the treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) (Press release, ADC Therapeutics, SEP 13, 2021, View Source [SID1234587618]).
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
Orphan Drug Designation in the EU is granted by the European Commission based on a positive opinion issued by the EMA Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP). It is intended to encourage the development of drugs that may provide significant benefit to patients suffering from rare, life-threatening diseases. If approved for marketing, this designation will provide ten years of marketing exclusivity and also provide special incentives for sponsors, including eligibility for protocol assistance and possible exemptions or reductions in certain regulatory fees.
About ZYNLONTA (loncastuximab tesirine-lpyl)
ZYNLONTA is a CD19-directed antibody drug conjugate (ADC). Once bound to a CD19-expressing cell, ZYNLONTA is internalized by the cell, where enzymes release a pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) payload. The potent payload binds to DNA minor groove with little distortion, remaining less visible to DNA repair mechanisms. This ultimately results in cell cycle arrest and tumor cell death. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved ZYNLONTA (loncastuximab tesirine-lpyl) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory (r/r) large B-cell lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) not otherwise specified (NOS), DLBCL arising from low-grade lymphoma and also high-grade B-cell lymphoma. This indication is approved by the FDA under accelerated approval based on overall response rate and continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial.
The FDA approval was based on data from LOTIS-2, a large (n=145) Phase 2 multinational, single-arm clinical trial of ZYNLONTA for the treatment of adult patients with r/r DLBCL following two or more prior lines of systemic therapy. The trial included a broad spectrum of heavily pre-treated patients (median three prior lines of therapy) with very difficult to treat disease, including patients with high-grade B-cell lymphoma. The trial enrolled patients who did not respond to first-line therapy, patients refractory to all prior lines of therapy, patients with double/triple hit genetics and patients who had stem cell transplants and CAR-T therapy prior to their treatment with ZYNLONTA. Results from the trial demonstrated an overall response rate (ORR) of 48.3% (70/145 patients), which included a complete response (CR) rate of 24.1% (35/145 patients) and a partial response (PR) rate of 24.1% (35/145 patients). Patients had a median time to response of 1.3 months. At the most recent data cut-off for patients enrolled in the trial, the median duration of response (mDoR) was 13.4 months. In a pooled safety population the most common adverse reactions (≥20%) were thrombocytopenia, gamma-glutamyltransferase increased, neutropenia, anemia, hyperglycemia, transaminase elevation, fatigue, hypoalbuminemia, rash, edema, nausea and musculoskeletal pain. In LOTIS-2, the most common (≥10%) grade ≥3 treatment-emergent adverse events were neutropenia (26.2%), thrombocytopenia (17.9%), gamma-glutamyltransferase increased (17.2%) and anemia (10.3%).
ZYNLONTA is being evaluated in combination for earlier lines of therapy and as a monotherapy in other B-cell malignancies.