Roche has made an announcement that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided approval for CD20xCD3 bispecific Lunsumio VELO™-mosunetuzumab as a subcutaneous (SC) formulation when it comes to the treatment of adult patients having relapsed or refractory R/R follicular lymphoma (FL) after two or more lines of systemic therapy, based upon the results from the phase I/II GO29781 study. Due to the study results, Lunsumio VELO by Roche is approved as per accelerated approval. Full approval for this regimen may also be contingent on verification and confirmation of benefit in a confirmatory trial.
According to the Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development at Roche, Levi Garraway, MD, PhD, since follicular lymphoma often needs lifelong management, decreasing the burden of care for such individuals is indeed of major importance. Due to this FDA approval, treatment can now be administered in about one minute, which prominently decreases the time patients spend within the clinic and helps to sync care along with their individual requirements as well as preferences.
It is well to be noted that VELO decreases the treatment administration time with an approx. one-minute injection as compared with a 2-4 hour intravenous (IV) infusion. Like Lunsumio, which is administered intravenously, Lunsumio VELO by Roche can be administered outpatient and is a fixed-duration treatment that is given for a defined period, and that could be as short as six months. By contrast, treat-to-progression treatment alternatives are designed to be given to patients indefinitely until the time of disease progression or till treatment can no longer be tolerated. Tennessee Oncology and One Oncology’s Dr. Ian Flinn, MD, PhD, says that this approval is a major step when it comes to broadening access to effective treatments for people who are living with follicular lymphoma. Due to its manageable cytokine release syndrome profile as well as decreased administration time, Lunsumio VELO helps oncologists to roll out advanced care across the community practice settings.
Interestingly, the FDA approval has received support from the primary analysis of the GO29781 study, which evaluated Lunsumio VELO across patients having third-line or later (3L+ FL). Inferences showed that the objective response rate as well as the complete response rate within patients treated with Lunsumio VELO were 75% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 64–83%) and 59% (95% CI: 48–69%), respectively. The median duration when it comes to response was 22.4 months – 95% CI: 16.8–22.8. The most common adverse reactions (≥20%) were the injection site reactions, such as fatigue, rash, cytokine release syndrome (CRS), COVID-19 infection, and musculoskeletal pain, as well as diarrhea. Notably, the CRS rate was 30%, and events were mostly low grade, i.e., Grade 1–2 (28%) and Grade 3 (2.1%) occurred in Cycle 1, and all resolved post a median duration of two days (range: 1–15). Apparently, CRS can be severe as well as life-threatening.
It is well to be noted that Lunsumio IV was the first bispecific antibody that was approved for 3L+ FL. Long-term data from the SC as well as IV arms of the GO29781 study were presented at the 67th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition. These data have been submitted to other healthcare authorities throughout the world. Recently, the European Commission went on to grant a conditional marketing authorization of Lunsumio SC when it comes to the treatment of adult patients having R/R FL post two or more lines of systemic therapy.
Roche goes on to advance its bispecific antibody programme within the gamut of lymphoma, with ongoing phase III studies assessing Lunsumio and Lunsumio VELO within the earlier lines of treatment. This goes on to include the SUNMO study, which investigates the Lunsumio VELO in combination with Polivy® (polatuzumab vedotin) in the second-line or later large B-cell lymphoma, as well as the MorningLyte study, which investigates the Lunsumio VELO in combination with lenalidomide in past untreated FL.
 formulation for adult patients with refractory R/R follicular lymphoma.){kind=link}