Sobi® and ADC Therapeutics SA informed that Zynlonta® (loncastuximab tesirine) has recently received conditional marketing authorization from the European Commission (EC) for the treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma ((DLBCL) that has relapsed or become resistant. The approval comes after the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use issued a favorable opinion in September.
Sobi has said that it wants to give Zynlonta, a new treatment for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, to people in the European Union who have this debilitating blood cancer.
The approval was granted based on the findings from LOTIS-2, which was a large (n=145), phase 2 multinational, single-arm clinical study of Zynlonta for treating adult patients who had relapsed or refractory DLBCL following two or more prior lines of systemic therapy. Zynlonta was granted accelerated approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration in April 2021. This approval made it the first CD19-targeted antibody-drug conjugate to be used as a single-agent treatment for adult patients who had relapsed or been resistant to two or more lines of systemic therapy for their DLBCL.
Sobi announced an exclusive license agreement with ADC Therapeutics to develop and commercialize Zynlonta in Europe and other international markets. The license aims to boost Sobi's presence in hematology, one of its two main disease areas. Besides, Zynlonta will be sold with other Sobi hematology drugs.
ADC Therapeutics added that this approval expands Zynlonta's global reach. Zynlonta will fill a critical unmet need for DLBCL patients in Europe. The EU decision applies to Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein.
According to the terms of the license agreement and as previously communicated, Sobi will pay ADC Therapeutics USD 50 million as a result of the EU's approval of DLBCL. Sobi's clinical development and product supply are handled by ADC Therapeutics.
About ADC Therapeutics
ADC Therapeutics next-generation, targeted antibody-drug conjugates help cancer patients. With a deep understanding of oncology and an ADC platform that the FDA's approval of Zynlonta has proven, the company is working to meet unmet medical needs and improve outcomes for people with hard-to-treat hematological cancers and solid tumors. ADC Therapeutics' highly skilled global team is committed to fighting cancer with science, bringing targeted therapies and hope to patients and their families.