FDA approves Genentech’s Lunsumio

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Lunsumio® (mosunetuzumab-axgb) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) follicular lymphoma (FL) after two or more lines of systemic therapy. This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on response rate. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial. Lunsumio, a CD20xCD3 T-cell engaging bispecific antibody, represents a new class of fixed-duration cancer immunotherapy, which is off-the-shelf and readily available, so that patients do not have to wait to start treatment. Lunsumio will be available in the United States in the coming weeks.

“This approval is a significant milestone for people with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma, who have had limited treatment options until now,” said Elizabeth Budde, M.D., Ph.D., hematologic oncologist and associate professor, City of Hope Division of Lymphoma, Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, and Lunsumio clinical trial investigator. “As a first-in-class T-cell engaging bispecific antibody that can be initiated in an outpatient setting, Lunsumio’s high response rates and fixed-duration could change the way advanced follicular lymphoma is treated.”

“Despite treatment advances, follicular lymphoma remains incurable and relapse is common, with outcomes worsening following each consecutive treatment,” said Levi Garraway, M.D., Ph.D., chief medical officer and head of Global Product Development. “Lunsumio represents our first approved T-cell engaging bispecific antibody and builds on our legacy of more than 20 years of innovation in blood cancer.”

The FDA approval is based on positive results from the Phase II GO29781 study of Lunsumio in people with heavily pretreated FL, including those who were at high risk of disease progression or whose disease was refractory to prior therapies. Results from the study showed high and durable response rates. An objective response was seen in 80% (72/90 [95% confidence interval (CI): 70-88]) of patients treated with Lunsumio, with a majority maintaining responses for at least 18 months (57% [95% CI: 44-70]). The objective response rate is the combination of complete response (CR) rate (a disappearance of all signs and symptoms of cancer) and partial response rate (a decrease in the amount of cancer in the body). The median duration of response among those who responded was almost 2 years (22.8 months [95% CI: 10-not reached]). A CR was achieved in 60% of patients (54/90 [95% CI: 49-70]). Among 218 patients with hematologic malignancies who received Lunsumio at the recommended dose, the most common adverse event (AE) was cytokine release syndrome (CRS; 39%), which can be severe and life-threatening. The median duration of CRS events was 3 days (range: 1-29). Other common AEs (≥20%) included fatigue, rash, pyrexia and headache.

Lunsumio is administered as an intravenous infusion for a fixed-duration, which allows for time off therapy, and can be infused in an outpatient setting. Hospitalization may be needed to manage select AEs, should be considered for subsequent infusions following a Grade 2 CRS event, and is recommended for subsequent infusions following a Grade 3 CRS event.

“This additional treatment option is good news for people whose blood cancer has not responded to multiple lines of treatment because it can become more difficult to treat each time it returns,” said Dr Lee Greenberger, chief scientific officer of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. “This bispecific antibody is an off-the-shelf, accessible treatment option that has the potential to help those with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma achieve remission.”

Lunsumio was developed based on Genentech’s broad expertise in creating bispecific antibodies. Lunsumio is designed to address the diverse needs of people with blood cancer, physicians and practice settings, and is part of the company’s robust bispecific antibody clinical program in lymphoma. Lunsumio is being further investigated as a subcutaneous formulation (i.e., administered under the skin) and in Phase III studies that will expand the understanding of its impact in earlier lines of treatment in people with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Genentech is committed to helping people access the medicines they are prescribed and will be offering comprehensive services for people prescribed Lunsumio to help minimize barriers to access and reimbursement. Business Wire