STOCKHOLM, June 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common type of
non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Unfortunately, 40% of patients will relapse
after or not respond to initial treatment resulting in poor
outcomes especially if stem cell transplant is not an option.
Developing effective treatment options for such patients is an area
of high unmet need.
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Polatuzumab vedotin is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)
targeting CD79b, a protein expressed in DLBCL. Polatuzumab
vedotin combined with the chemotherapy bendamustine and monoclonal
antibody rituximab (pola-BR) demonstrated improvements in treatment
response and reduced the risk of disease progression and death in
patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) DLBCL compared to treatment
with BR alone. At the end of treatment, 40% of patients receiving
pola-BR achieved a complete response compared to 15% of patients
treated with BR. Additionally, median progression free
survival tripled (6.7 vs. 2.0 months, HR 0.31) and overall survival
more than doubled (11.8 vs. 4.7 months, HR 0.35) in patients
treated with pola-BR versus BR alone.
Based on these results, polatuzumab vedotin has been granted
Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the US Food and Drug
Administration and PRIME (PRIority MEdicines) designation by the
European Medicines Agency for R/R DLBCL.
Presenter: Dr Laurie H. Sehn
Affiliation: BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver, Canada
Topic: ADDING POLATUZUMAB VEDOTIN (POLA) TO
BENDAMUSTINE AND RITUXIMAB (BR) TREATMENT IMPROVES SURVIVAL IN
PATIENTS WITH RELAPSED/REFRACTORY DLBCL: RESULTS OF A PHASE 2
CLINICAL TRIAL
Abstract S802 will be presented by Laurie H. Sehn on Saturday, June 16, 12:15-12:30 in Room A1.
About the EHA Annual Congress
Every year in June, EHA organizes its Annual Congress in a major
European city. After five years, the congress returns to
Stockholm. The Congress is aimed
at health professionals working in or interested in the field of
hematology.
The scientific program topics range from stem cell physiology
and development, to leukemia; lymphoma; diagnosis and treatment;
red blood cells; white blood cells and platelet disorders;
hemophilia and myeloma; thrombosis and bleeding disorders as well
as transfusion and stem cell transplantation.
Embargo
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abstracts in the Press Briefings. Check our Congress Media
Guidelines here.
Website: www.ehaweb.org
SOURCE European Hematology Association