Dr. Luminari Remarks on EU Approval of Odronextamab for DLBCL, Follicular Lymphoma

In an interview with Blood Cancers Today, Stefano Luminari, MD, of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy, spoke about the recent approval in the European Union (EU) of odronextamab for relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and follicular lymphoma (FL).

Odronextamab, a novel CD20xCD3 bispecific antibody, received approval in the EU for these indications based on its excellent efficacy and safety performance in two large clinical studies. Dr. Luminari noted that clinicians currently have few options to treat patients in these settings, and they will welcome odronextamab for its positive rates, durability of response, and manageable safety profile.

In the DLBCL and FL treatment landscapes, the introduction of odronextamab and other chemotherapy-free approaches such as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy give physicians more options to individualize patient care. An additional boon of odronextamab is that its safety profile enables it to be easily combined with other chemotherapy-free treatments.

“I think this is the future of odronextamab. In combination with another chemo-free option, odronextamab plus another agent has the possibility to actually change the treatment scenario and treatment option, not only of the relapsed or refractory patients but also earlier lines of therapy,” Dr. Luminari elaborated.

Dr. Luminari mentioned that clinical trials are underway to investigate such combinations of odronextamab with chemotherapy-free agents or chemotherapy in DLBCL and FL.