Genmab drug could let lymphoma patients skip hospital stays

Genmab said Wednesday that updated results from a mid-stage trial showed its cancer drug epcoritamab could be safely administered outside of a hospital for most patients with a common type of lymphoma.

The study found that 92% of patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, received their first full dose of the drug in an outpatient setting, according to the company.

The findings are significant as similar antibody treatments often require hospitalization to monitor for side effects like cytokine release syndrome, a common immune-related reaction.

In the trial, the side effect occurred in about 30% of outpatients receiving their first full dose, with about half of those requiring subsequent inpatient care to manage the reaction, the company said.

Genmab stated the overall adverse event profile was consistent with previous studies.

The study also demonstrated the drug's effectiveness, showing an overall response rate of 64.3% and a complete response rate of 47.6% in patients who had received one prior line of therapy.

“The possibility of treating patients in the outpatient setting is encouraging and it may enable more people to have access to this treatment option across various sites of care, including community settings,” said Jeff Sharman, an investigator in the study.

Epcoritamab, which is co-developed with AbbVie, is already approved for other lymphoma indications.