Epcoritamab meets Phase III goal in frontline lymphoma
Genmab and AbbVie’s bispecific antibody epcoritamab, added to standard R-CHOP chemoimmunotherapy, significantly improved progression-free survival in the Phase III EPCORE DLBCL-2 trial in newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The companies say it is the first Phase III study of a bispecific antibody combination to show such a benefit in the frontline setting.
The trial met its primary endpoint, progression-free survival in patients with an International Prognostic Index (IPI) score of 3 to 5. The risk of disease progression or death was reduced by 51% (HR 0.49; 95% CI 0.35–0.69; p<0.0001). The result was similar in the full study population with IPI scores of 2 to 5, a key secondary endpoint (HR 0.49; 95% CI 0.36–0.67). Safety was consistent with the known profiles of epcoritamab and R-CHOP.
Patients were randomized 2:1 to a fixed-duration regimen. One arm received six cycles of subcutaneous epcoritamab plus R-CHOP followed by two cycles of epcoritamab alone. The other received six cycles of R-CHOP followed by two cycles of rituximab. DLBCL is the most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, accounting for about 25–30% of cases.
Genmab and AbbVie will now engage global regulatory authorities, and the data will be submitted for presentation at a future medical meeting. Epcoritamab is already approved in certain lymphoma indications in more than 65 countries. The combination with R-CHOP is investigational.
Genmab CEO Jan van de Winkel said the results “have the potential to reshape the frontline treatment landscape.”
Published: October 7, 2026
