Genmab Announces EPKINLY® (epcoritamab-bysp) in Combination with Rituximab and Lenalidomide Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the Treatment of Relapsed or Refractory Follicular Lymphoma
By:
Genmab A/S via
GlobeNewswire
November 18, 2025 at 11:30 AM EST
Company Announcement
COPENHAGEN, Denmark; November 18, 2025 – Genmab A/S (Nasdaq: GMAB) announced today that EPKINLY® (epcoritamab-bysp) in combination with rituximab and lenalidomide (EPKINLY + R2) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for adult patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) follicular lymphoma (FL). The approval is based on results from the pivotal Phase 3 EPCORE® FL-1 study that evaluated fixed duration EPKINLY + R2 compared to standard of care R2.i In the study, treatment with fixed duration EPKINLY + R2 reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 79% (HR 0.21, 95% CI: 0.13-0.33, p<0.0001) compared to R2. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was not reached (NR) among patients treated with EPKINLY + R2 (95% CI: 21.9-NR) compared to 11.2 months for patients treated with R2 (95% CI: 10.5-NR). Among patients who were treated with EPKINLY + R2, 89% responded to treatment (n=216/243, 95% CI: 84-93, p<0.0001) and 74% achieved a complete response (CR) (n=181/243, 95% CI: 69-80). This is compared to a 74% overall response rate (n=181/245, 95% CI: 68-79) and 43% CR rate among patients treated with R2 (n=106/245, 95% CI: 37-50).i The Phase 3 EPCORE FL-1 study included patients with relapsed or recurrent FL following at least one prior line of treatment across a broad range of patient characteristics and disease risk factors. The safety profile of EPKINLY + R2 in the EPCORE FL-1 study was generally consistent with the known safety profiles of the individual regimens (epcoritamab and R2). The most common (≥ 20%) adverse reactions in patients who received EPKINLY + R2 were rash, upper respiratory tract infections, fatigue, injection site reactions, constipation, diarrhea, cytokine release syndrome (CRS), pneumonia, COVID-19, and fever. The most common Grade 3 to 4 laboratory abnormalities (≥ 10%) were decreased neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, and platelets. CRS occurred in 24% of patients at the recommended 3 step-up dosing schedule, and was primarily low grade (19% Grade 1, 5% Grade 2). A single event of immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) occurred in one patient, grade 1 (0.8%). The prescribing information has a Boxed Warning for serious or fatal CRS and ICANS. Warnings and precautions include infections, cytopenias, and embryo-fetal toxicity. Please see additional Important Safety Information below.i “Recurrent follicular lymphoma can be an incurable, complex, and persistent disease, creating a clear need for additional treatments that can change its course earlier in the treatment journey,” said Lorenzo Falchi, M.D., Lymphoma Specialist, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “The results shown with EPKINLY + R2 in the EPCORE FL-1 study are incredibly meaningful, demonstrating durable responses compared to patients treated with R2 alone. These data, delivered by a regimen that’s chemotherapy-free and can be administered in the outpatient setting, suggest that EPKINLY + R2 could potentially become a new standard of care.” “Today’s milestone marks meaningful progress for people living with follicular lymphoma. With a bispecific-based therapy that can be administered in a variety of medical settings, patients have the possibility of accessing this treatment at sites of care closer to where they live,” said Meghan Gutierrez, Chief Executive Officer, Lymphoma Research Foundation. EPKINLY + R2 was previously granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation (BTD) by the FDA for the treatment of R/R FL. This designation is granted to investigational medicines for serious or life-threatening diseases in cases where preliminary clinical evidence shows that the therapy may provide substantial improvements over available therapies. “The FDA approval of EPKINLY + R2 is an important advancement for patients with follicular lymphoma, enabling treatment at initial recurrence when more effective intervention is needed,” said Judith Klimovsky, M.D., Executive Vice President & Chief Development Officer, Genmab. “This milestone also underscores EPKINLY’s potential as the core therapy for B-cell malignancies, demonstrating benefit in combination and earlier disease, and building on its established role as a single agent option in later lines of treatment.” In June 2024, EPKINLY monotherapy was granted accelerated approval by the FDA for the treatment of R/R FL following two or more lines of systemic therapy. With the results from the confirmatory Phase 3 EPCORE FL-1 study, the FDA has also converted the accelerated approval into a full approval. Data from the Phase 3 EPCORE FL-1 study will be presented at the Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Society of Hematology in December. About the EPCORE FL-1 Trial EPKINLY® (epcoritamab-bysp) U.S. INDICATIONS AND IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION What is EPKINLY?
It is not known if EPKINLY is safe and effective in children. Important Warnings—EPKINLY can cause serious side effects, including:
People with DLBCL or high-grade B-cell lymphoma should be hospitalized for 24 hours after receiving their first full dose of EPKINLY on Day 15 of Cycle 1 due to the risk of CRS and neurologic problems. People with follicular lymphoma (FL) may need to be hospitalized after receiving their first full dose of EPKINLY on Day 22 of Cycle 1 due to the risk of CRS. Tell your healthcare provider or get medical help right away if you develop a fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher; dizziness or lightheadedness; trouble breathing; chills; fast heartbeat; feeling anxious; headache; confusion; shaking (tremors); problems with balance and movement, such as trouble walking; trouble speaking or writing; confusion and disorientation; drowsiness, tiredness or lack of energy; muscle weakness; seizures; or memory loss. These may be symptoms of CRS or neurologic problems. If you have any symptoms that impair consciousness, do not drive or use heavy machinery or do other dangerous activities until your symptoms go away. EPKINLY can cause other serious side effects, including:
Your healthcare provider will monitor you for symptoms of CRS, neurologic problems, infections, and low blood cell counts during treatment with EPKINLY. Your healthcare provider may temporarily stop or completely stop treatment with EPKINLY if you develop certain side effects. Before you receive EPKINLY, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you have an infection, are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. If you receive EPKINLY while pregnant, it may harm your unborn baby. If you are a female who can become pregnant, your healthcare provider should do a pregnancy test before you start treatment with EPKINLY and you should use effective birth control (contraception) during treatment and for 4 months after your last dose of EPKINLY. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant or think that you may be pregnant during treatment with EPKINLY. Do not breastfeed during treatment with EPKINLY and for 4 months after your last dose of EPKINLY. The most common side effects of EPKINLY when used alone in DLBCL or high-grade B-cell lymphoma or FL include CRS, injection site reactions, tiredness, muscle and bone pain, fever, diarrhea, COVID-19, rash, and stomach-area (abdominal) pain. The most common severe abnormal laboratory test results with EPKINLY when used alone include decreased white blood cells, decreased red blood cells, and decreased platelets. The most common side effects of EPKINLY when used together with lenalidomide and rituximab in FL include rash, upper respiratory tract infections, tiredness, injection site reactions, constipation, diarrhea, CRS, pneumonia, COVID-19, and fever. The most common severe abnormal laboratory test results with EPKINLY when used together with lenalidomide and rituximab include decreased white blood cells and decreased platelets. These are not all of the possible side effects of EPKINLY. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You are encouraged to report side effects to the FDA at (800) FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch or to Genmab US, Inc. at 1-855-4GENMAB (1-855-443-6622). Please see Medication Guide, including Important Warnings. Helping Patients Access Care About Follicular Lymphoma (FL) About EPKINLY® (epcoritamab-bysp) Epcoritamab (approved under the brand name EPKINLY in countries including the U.S. and Japan, and as TEPKINLY® in the European Union) has received regulatory approval in certain lymphoma indications in more than 65 countries. Epcoritamab is being co-developed by Genmab and AbbVie as part of the companies' oncology collaboration. The companies will share commercialization responsibilities in the U.S. and Japan, with AbbVie responsible for further global commercialization. Both companies will pursue additional international regulatory approvals for the R/R FL indication and additional approvals for the R/R DLBCL indication. Genmab and AbbVie continue to evaluate the use of epcoritamab as a monotherapy, and in combination, across lines of therapy in a range of hematologic malignancies. This includes four additional ongoing Phase 3, open-label, randomized trials including a trial evaluating epcoritamab as a monotherapy in patients with R/R DLBCL compared to investigators choice immunochemotherapy (NCT04628494), a trial evaluating epcoritamab in combination with R-CHOP in adult patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL (NCT05578976), a trial evaluating epcoritamab in combination with rituximab and lenalidomide (R2) compared to chemoimmunotherapy in patients with previously untreated FL (NCT06191744), and a trial evaluating epcoritamab in combination with lenalidomide compared to chemotherapy infusion in patients with R/R DLBCL (NCT06508658). The safety and efficacy of epcoritamab has not been established for these investigational uses. Please visit www.clinicaltrials.gov for more information. About Genmab Established in 1999, Genmab is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, with international presence across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit Genmab.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X. Contact: Andrew Carlsen, Vice President, Head of Investor Relations i EPKINLY (epcoritamab-bysp) [package insert]. Copenhagen, Denmark: Genmab, 2025. Company Announcement no. 49 Genmab A/S Attachment
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