Incyte: Monjuvi improves survival in patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma

1. The addition of Monjuvi to standard-of-care therapy reduced the risk of disease progression, relapse, or death in patients with relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma
2. Compared to placebo, the addition of Monjuvi did not result in a higher rate of serious adverse events.

The Latest

In the randomized phase 3 in-MIND trial, patients with refractory/relapsed follicular lymphoma were randomized to standard-of-care therapy (Lenalidomide + Rituxan) and Monjuvi versus standard of care and placebo. The addition of Monjuvi led to a 57% reduction in risk of disease progression, relapse, or death compared to placebo. The rates of serious adverse events, most commonly neutropenia, pneumonia, and thrombocytopenia, were similar between patients treated with Monjuvi and placebo.

Physician’s Perspective

Follicular lymphoma is the most common type of indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer that arises from white blood cells called B-lymphocytes (B-cells) that typically grow very slowly. Patients with follicular lymphoma are typically treated with an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody as first-line therapy. While many patients will have an initial response to first-line therapy, most patients will ultimately have disease recurrence or develop progressive disease that no longer responds to currently available treatment (treatment-refractory). Therefore, therapeutics with novel mechanisms of action are needed for patients with relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma.

Molecular Target of Therapy

Follicular lymphoma arises from a subset of white blood cells called B cells, which express the protein CD19 on their surfaces. Monjuvi (tafasitamab-cxix) is a humanized CD19 targeting antibody that binds to the CD19 antigen and mediates B-cell death through antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and phagocytosis.

Company History

Incyte is an American multinational pharmaceutical company that focuses on developing therapeutics for chronic GVHD, dermatologic, and oncologic diseases. Incyte entered into a purchase agreement with MorphoSys, a German biopharmaceutical company in February 2024 that gave the global rights for Monjuvi to Incyte. Monjuvi was first approved by FDA in 2020 for use in patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma

Further reading: https://ash.confex.com/ash/2024/webprogram/Paper212970.html

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