FDA approves Roche’s Lunsumio to treat people with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma

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

Roche announced that the US 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 the 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, Haematologic 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, Roche’s 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.”

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. Hospitalisation 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.

Lunsumio was developed based on the Roche Group’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 programme 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 lymphoma.