Duell, Johannes

Background Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) modified T-cells are leading to a paradigm shift in the treatment of relapsed/refractory (RR) multiple myeloma (MM). A high proportion of patients treated with CAR T-cells, however, experience prolonged cytopenia, with the mechanism remaining poorly understood. Here, we aimed to explore potential biomarkers that might correlate with cytopenia following CAR T-cell therapy in RRMM. Methods We prospectively collected peripheral blood (PB) of RRMM patients treated with idecabtagen-vicleucel (ide-cel) at the following time points: prior to lymphodepleting chemotherapy (LDC) (baseline), after ide-cel on day 4, 7, 14 and 28, and monthly thereafter. Cytopenia was determined according to the CTCAE version 5.0. Flow cytometry was performed with the following markers: CD45, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD62L, CD45RA, CD19, CD14, CD138, CD38 and a BCMA-CAR-detection marker. Results We included 222 PB samples at different sampling time points from 35 RRMM patients, who were pretreated with a median of 5 therapy lines (range 2-10). All patients were triple-class exposed and, 34 (97%) and 9 (26%) patients underwent autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplant (SCT), respectively. First, we analyzed the relationship between baseline parameters and the duration of grade ≥3 cytopenia after ide-cel (n=35). Notably, patients who received allogeneic SCT or >4 lines of therapy did not develop longer lasting cytopenia than the remaining patients. We found a correlation between the baseline hemoglobin level and the duration of grade ≥3 anemia (r=-0.55, P<0.001). Similarly, low baseline platelet count indicated long duration of grade ≥3 thrombocytopenia (r=-0.48, P=0.003). Moreover, high baseline ferritin level correlated with long duration of grade ≥3 anemia (r=0.52, P<0.001) and thrombocytopenia (r=0.51, P=0.002). Furthermore, the maximum ferritin level after ide-cel was an indicator for long lasting grade ≥3 anemia (r=0.73, P<0.001) and thrombocytopenia (r=0.71, P<0.001). Interestingly, we found significant correlations between the duration of grade ≥3 lymphopenia and baseline CD4+ T-cell frequency (r=0.41, P=0.02), CD8+ T-cell frequency (r=-0.38, P=0.04) and CD4+/CD8+ ratio (r=0.4, P=0.03). Noteworthy, patients with β2-microglobulin level >3.5 mg/l displayed longer duration of grade ≥3 anemia (median: 9 vs 0 day, P=0.007) and neutropenia (median: 43 vs 12 days, P=0.02) compared with the remaining patients, suggesting that high tumor load might be a risk factor for prolonged cytopenia after ide-cel. Second, we divided the follow-up PB samples (n=187) into two groups: early (<d60) and prolonged (≥d60) cytopenia to account for direct toxic effects related to LDC. A high ferritin level was associated with low hemoglobin level (<d60: r=-0.45, P<0.001, ≥d60: r=-0.62, P<0.001) and low platelet count (<d60: r=-0.58, P<0.001, ≥d60: r=-0.81, P<0.001) in both groups. In prolonged cytopenia (≥d60), lymphocyte count correlated with the T-cell count (r=0.7, P<0.001), suggesting that prolonged lymphopenia was mainly attributed to the reduced T-cell count after ide-cel. Of note, the frequency of naïve CD4+ T-cells (CD3+CD4+CD62L+CD45RA+) positively correlated with neutrophil count (r=0.58, P<0.001), hemoglobin level (r=0.37, P=0.03) and white blood cell count (r=0.5, P=0.002) in the ≥d60 group, suggesting that delayed immune reconstruction with reduced naïve CD4+ T-cells might contribute to prolonged cytopenia after ide-cel. Moreover, in the ≥d60 group, lymphocyte count was related with the frequency of CAR+CD4+ (r=-0.58, P<0.001), CAR+CD8+ (r=0.58, P<0.001), CAR-CD4+ (r=-0.72, P<0.001), CAR-CD8+ (r=0.75, P<0.001) T-cells, as well as the ratios of CAR+CD8+/CAR+CD4+ (r=-0.6, P<0.001) and CAR-CD8+/CAR-CD4+ (r=-0.75, P<0.001). Conclusion Here, we present one of the first prospective studies investigating the factors associated with prolonged cytopenia after CAR T-cell therapy in RRMM. High tumor load, preexisting cytopenia and high ferritin level are related with prolonged cytopenia after ide-cel. Delayed immune reconstruction, characterized by reduced naïve CD4+ T-cell count, indicates prolonged cytopenia following ide-cel therapy. Patients with high CD4+/CD8+ ratio are at risk of prolonged lymphopenia (with reduced T-cell count), which may be a risk factor for infectious complications and an issue for subsequent T-cell based immunotherapies.

Abstract Anti-CD19 immunotherapy tafasitamab is used in combination with lenalidomide in patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant. Open-label, phase 1b, First-MIND study assessed safety and preliminary efficacy of tafasitamab + R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) ± lenalidomide as first-line therapy in patients with DLBCL. From December 2019 to August 2020, 83 adults with untreated DLBCL (International Prognostic Index 2-5) were screened and 66 were randomly assigned (33 per arm) to R-CHOP-tafasitamab (arm T) or R-CHOP-tafasitamab-lenalidomide (arm T/L) for 6 cycles. Primary end point was safety; secondary end points included end-of-treatment (EoT) overall response rate (ORR) and complete response (CR) rate. All patients had ≥1 treatment-emergent adverse event, mostly grade 1 or 2. Grade ≥3 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia occurred, respectively, in 57.6% and 12.1% (arm T) and 84.8% and 36.4% (arm T/L) of patients. Nonhematologic toxicities occurred at similar rates among arms. R-CHOP mean relative dose intensity was ≥89% in both arms. EoT ORR was 75.8% (CR 72.7%) in arm T and 81.8% (CR 66.7%) in arm T/L; best ORR across visits was 90.0% and 93.9%. Eighteen-month duration of response and of CR rates were 72.7% and 74.5% (arm T) and 78.7% and 86.5% (arm T/L); 24-month progression-free and overall survival rates were 72.7% and 90.3% (arm T) and 76.8% and 93.8% (arm T/L). Manageable safety and promising signals of efficacy were observed in both arms. Potential benefit of adding tafasitamab + lenalidomide to R-CHOP is being investigated in phase 3 frontMIND (NCT04824092). This study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT04134936.

BACKGROUND: Odronextamab (REGN1979) is a first-in-class, hinge-stabilized, fully human IgG4-based CD3 x CD20 bispecific antibody (bsAb) that has demonstrated encouraging safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy in a first-in-human study of patients (pts) with relapsed/refractory (R/R) B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL). We report updated safety and efficacy data from the dose escalation and early dose expansion phase of the ongoing Phase (P)1 study (NCT02290951). METHODS: Odronextamab was administered using a step-up dose schedule consisting of an initial dose at Week (W)1, an intermediate dose at W2, and thereafter, a fixed weekly dose until W12 followed by maintenance Q2W dosing. Dexamethasone premedication was used to mitigate the risk for cytokine release syndrome (CRS). Key primary objectives were to assess safety and dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs), and to establish a maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended P2 dosing regimen (RP2DR). Secondary objectives included a preliminary assessment of anti-tumor activity. RESULTS: As of Jun 25, 2020, 127 pts with R/R B-NHL have been treated at doses ranging from 0.03-320 mg. The study included pts with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL; n=71), follicular lymphoma (FL) Grade (Gr) 1-3a (n=37), mantle cell lymphoma (MCL; n=11), marginal zone lymphoma (n=6), and other B-NHLs (n=2). Pts were highly refractory (80.3%) and had received a median of 3 (range: 1‒11) prior lines of therapy; 29 pts (22.8%) received prior CAR T therapy (FL: 2; DLBCL: 25; MCL: 2) and 85 pts (66.9%) were double refractory to alkylator and anti-CD20 antibody, in any line of therapy. Median follow-up was 3.9 (0.4‒37.6) months (mo). No DLTs were reported during dose escalation and MTD was not reached with odronextamab doses up to 320 mg weekly. The most frequent treatment-related adverse events (AEs) of any grade were pyrexia (76.4%), CRS (62.2%), and chills (48.0%). Gr 3 CRS occurred in 8 pts (6.3%) and a Gr 4 CRS occurred in 1 pt (0.8%). Most of the CRS events occurred during the first 2 weeks of step-up dosing and resolved within a median of 2 days (range 1-41) with supportive care measures. No pts discontinued odronextamab treatment due to CRS. Gr 3 neurologic AEs were noted in 5 pts, of which only 3 (2.3%) were considered treatment-related: somnolence, syncope, and encephalopathy. None of these events required treatment discontinuation. There were no Gr 4 or higher neurologic AEs. Overall, 7 pts (5.5%) discontinued treatment due to treatment-related AEs. In pts with R/R FL Gr 1-3a, odronextamab demonstrated a broad window of therapeutic activity. In pts treated at doses of ≥5 mg (n=28), objective response rate (ORR) was 92.9%, and complete response (CR) rate was 75.0%; median duration of response (DoR) was 7.7 mo (range 0+-20.9+), with 13 of 21 CRs ongoing at last tumor assessment. The median duration of complete response (DoCR) was 8.1 mo (range 0+-19.9+) and follow-up is ongoing (Table). In pts with R/R DLBCL, encouraging activity was observed at higher odronextamab dose levels. In DLBCL pts who had not received prior CAR T therapy, treated at doses ≥80 mg (n=10), ORR and CR rate were 60%; median observed DoR was 10.3 mo (range 2.9-18.6+), with 4 of 6 CRs ongoing at last tumor assessment. The median DoCR was 9.5 mo (range 2.9-18.6+) and follow-up is ongoing. In DLBCL pts who were refractory to prior CAR T therapy, treated at doses ≥80 mg (n=21), ORR was 33.3%, and CR rate was 23.8%; median observed DoR was 2.8 mo (range 0+-18.9+), with 5 of 5 CRs ongoing at last tumor assessment. The median DoCR was 4.4 mo (range 0+-18.9+) and follow-up is ongoing. Based on an evaluation of preliminary antitumor activity and PK, RP2DR was identified for dose expansion cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: Odronextamab has demonstrated encouraging single agent antitumor activity in highly refractory pts with B-NHLs. Durable CRs have been observed in both indolent and aggressive B-NHL pts, including in pts refractory to CAR T therapy. Most CRs are ongoing at time of data cutoff, and updated data will be presented. Odronextamab has an acceptable safety and tolerability profile. Dexamethasone premedication and step-up dosing mitigates the risk for CRS and allows odronextamab administration up to 320 mg weekly without DLTs. A global P2 trial investigating odronextamab in R/R B-NHL is ongoing. Disclosures Bannerji: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; AbbVie: Research Funding; Sanofi-Pasteur: Other: Spouse is employee; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd/Genentech, Inc and Pharmacyclics LLC, an AbbVie Company: Research Funding. Allan:Acerta, Genentech, Abbvie, Sunesis, Ascentage, Pharmacyclics, Janssen, AstraZeneca, BeiGene: Consultancy; Abbvie, Janssen, AstraZeneca, Pharmacyclics: Honoraria; Celgene, Genentech, Janssen, TG Therapeutics: Research Funding. Arnason:Regeneron: Consultancy; Juno: Consultancy. Brown:Catapult: Consultancy; Sun: Research Funding; Loxo: Consultancy, Research Funding; Verastem: Consultancy, Research Funding; TG Therapeutics: Consultancy; Sunesis: Consultancy; Rigel Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy; Octapharma: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; Nextcea: Consultancy; MEI Pharma: Consultancy; Kite: Consultancy; Juno/Celgene: Consultancy; Eli Lilly and Company: Consultancy; Dynamo Therapeutics: Consultancy; BeiGene: Consultancy; Gilead: Consultancy, Research Funding; Invectys: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: DSMC; Acerta: Consultancy; Genentech: Consultancy; Pharmacyclics: Consultancy; Morphosys: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other; Astra-Zeneca: Consultancy; Janssen: Honoraria; AbbVie: Consultancy. Advani:Celgene, Forty Seven, Inc., Genentech/Roche, Janssen Pharmaceutical, Kura, Merck, Millenium, Pharmacyclics, Regeneron, Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Astra Zeneca, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, Cell Medica, Celgene, Genentech/Roche, Gilead, KitePharma, Kyowa, Portola Pharmaceuticals, Sanofi, Seattle Genetics, Takeda: Consultancy. Ansell:Bristol Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding; Trillium: Research Funding; ADC Therapeutics: Research Funding; Affimed: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Regeneron: Research Funding; AI Therapeutics: Research Funding. O'Brien:Gilead, Pharmacyclics, TG Therapeutics, Pfizer, Sunesis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Kite, Regeneron, Acerta: Research Funding; Amgen, Astellas, Celgene, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen Oncology, Aptose Biosciences Inc. Vaniam Group, AbbVie, Alexion, Verastem, Eisai, Juno Therapeutics, Vida Ventures: Consultancy. Duell:Morphosys: Research Funding. Martin:Sandoz: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Consultancy, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy; Teneobio: Consultancy; I-MAB: Consultancy; Bayer: Consultancy; Beigene: Consultancy; Cellectar: Consultancy; Incyte: Consultancy; Kite: Consultancy; Morphosys: Consultancy; Regeneron: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy. Li:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Flink:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Zhu:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Weinreich:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Yancopoulos:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Sirulnik:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Chaudhry:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Ambati:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Topp:Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, KITE, Regeneron, Roche: Research Funding; Amgen, KITE, Novartis, Regeneron, Roche: Consultancy. OffLabel Disclosure: The data described in the abstract will report on use of odronextamab in a Phase 1 clinical trial of patients with B-NHL

Background REGN1979 is an anti-CD20 x anti-CD3 bispecific IgG4 antibody (Ab) modified to reduce Fc binding. Engaging both targets results in CD20-specific, local T-cell activation and cytotoxicity, a mechanism of action distinct from standard anti-CD20 Abs. Dose escalation is complete and a recommended Ph 2 dose has been determined. We report Ph 1 safety and efficacy results of REGN1979 in patients (pts) with R/R B-NHL previously treated with anti-CD20 Abs, including pts with progressive disease after anti-CD19 CAR T-cell (CAR T) therapy. Methods Primary objectives are to determine safety, tolerability, and occurrence of dose limiting toxicities (DLTs). Other objectives are to assess antitumor activity, pharmacokinetics (PK), and pharmacodynamics. Eligible pts with R/R B-NHL must have received prior CD20-directed therapy. Treatment consists of 12 weekly intravenous doses of REGN1979 followed by every 2-week dosing for 12 doses (36 weeks total). Results As of June 3, 2019, 96 pts (diffuse large cell B-cell lymphoma [DLBCL] [n=53], follicular lymphoma [FL] grade [Gr] 1-3a [n=25], mantle cell lymphoma [n=6], marginal zone lymphoma [n=6], or other [FL Gr 3b, FL unknown, FL ungraded, or Waldenström macroglobulinemia ] [n=6]) were treated with REGN1979 0.03-320 mg and received a median of 9 doses (range 1-24). Pts had a median of 3 prior lines of therapy (range 1-11); 12 pts with prior CAR T therapy were included in the safety analysis of which 6 were included in the efficacy analysis. Twenty-four pts remain on treatment; 18 completed treatment; 54 discontinued early (35 due to progressive disease [PD]). No pts with B-NHL experienced a DLT. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs) were pyrexia (n=74), CRS (n=55), chills (n=49), infections and infestations (n=47), fatigue (n=36), increased C-reactive protein (n=32), and anemia (n=32). Seven pts experienced Gr 3 CRS. The severity of CRS symptoms declined through optimized pre-medication even with REGN1979 dose escalation. Most common Gr 3 or 4 AEs were anemia (n=19), decreased lymphocytes/lymphopenia (n=19), infections and infestations (n=18), decreased neutrophils/neutropenia (n=17), and hypophosphatemia/decreased blood phosphorus (n=16). No pts had seizures or grade 4/5 neurologic AEs. Gr 3 neurologic AEs included depressed level of consciousness (unrelated), somnolence, and syncope (n=1 each). Neurological events were transient and none required permanent treatment termination. Five pts discontinued due to AEs: Gr 3 hemolysis; Gr 3 fatigue; Gr 2 and Gr 3 pneumonia; and Gr 3 neck abscess (1 each). Eleven pts died on study: PD (n=6), gastric perforation (n=1), cardiac arrest (n=1), lung infection (n=1), multi-organ failure (n=1), pneumonia (n=1). The Table and Figure show efficacy and duration of response for R/R DLBCL by dose level. Pts who had opportunity for response assessment at Week 12 were included in the analysis of response. Emerging data suggest increasing efficacy with higher doses in R/R DLBCL, with 5 of 8 pts treated at 80/160/320 mg achieving CR; at these doses 2 of 3 pts achieved CR after failure of CAR T therapy. Data also suggest increasing efficacy with increasing doses in R/R FL, but maximum efficacy appears to be achieved at lower doses than in DLBCL; in pts with FL Gr 1-3a treated at ≥5 mg, the ORR was 93% (13/14), and the CR rate was 71.4% (10/14). REGN1979 concentrations in serum increased linearly with dose during the first five weeks. Elevated levels of serum cytokines were observed, mostly in week 1, and no correlation was observed with clinical efficacy. Immunohistological analysis of malignant lymph node tissue demonstrated that pts with high and low CD20 expression achieved clinical response. Relapse among responders was seen with either maintenance or loss of CD20 expression, suggesting antigen-dependent and independent disease escape mechanisms. Conclusions/Summary Tolerability of REGN1979 has been demonstrated at doses up to the final dose level of 320 mg weekly, with no observed DLTs in pts with B-NHL. No pts discontinued due to neurologic AE. Activity was observed broadly in heavily pretreated R/R B-NHL pts treated with REGN1979. With increasing dose, more resistant tumors such as R/R DLBCL are showing benefit, even in pts with prior CAR T therapy failure. Based on these efficacy findings, a global Ph 2 study is underway to evaluate REGN1979 monotherapy in R/R FL Gr 1-3a, R/R DLBCL, and other R/R B-NHL subtypes. Disclosures Bannerji: AbbVie, Inc: Consultancy, travel support; Gilead: Other: travel support; Gilead: Other: travel support; Pharmacyclics: Other: travel support; Merck: Other: travel support, Patents & Royalties: IP rights; AbbVie, Inc: Consultancy; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Consultancy, Other: travel support, Research Funding; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Consultancy, Other: travel support, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Merck: Other: travel support, Patents & Royalties: IP rights; Pharmacyclics: Other: travel support. Allan:Acerta Pharma: Consultancy; Sunesis Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AbbVie, Inc: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pharmacyclics LLC, an AbbVie company: Consultancy; Genentech: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Bayer: Consultancy; Verastem Oncology, Inc.: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria. Arnason:Celgene/Juno: Consultancy; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Consultancy. Brown:AstraZeneca: Consultancy; Acerta Pharma: Consultancy; Morphosys: Other: Data safety monitoring boards ; Sun Pharmaceuticals, Inc: Research Funding; Sun: Research Funding; Verastem: Consultancy, Research Funding; TG Therapeutics: Consultancy; Teva: Honoraria; Sunesis: Consultancy; Pharmacyclics: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy; Janssen: Honoraria; Invectys: Other: other; Loxo: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy; Octapharma: Consultancy; Kite: Consultancy, Research Funding; Dynamo Therapeutics: Consultancy; Catapult Therapeutics: Consultancy; BeiGene: Consultancy; Gilead: Consultancy, Research Funding; Genentech/Roche: Consultancy. Advani:Kyowa Kirin Pharmaceutical Developments, Inc.: Consultancy; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy, Research Funding; Celmed: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Forty-Seven: Research Funding; Roche/Genentech: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Kura: Research Funding; Bayer: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Millennium: Research Funding; Gilead Sciences, Inc./Kite Pharma, Inc.: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Infinity Pharma: Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Cell Medica, Ltd: Consultancy; Autolus: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Agensys: Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Stanford University: Employment, Equity Ownership; Regeneron: Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Ansell:Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Trillium: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Trillium: Research Funding; Regeneron: Research Funding; Mayo Clinic Rochester: Employment; Regeneron: Research Funding; LAM Therapeutics: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Mayo Clinic Rochester: Employment; Mayo Clinic Rochester: Employment; LAM Therapeutics: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Regeneron: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Trillium: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Affimed: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; LAM Therapeutics: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Affimed: Research Funding; Mayo Clinic Rochester: Employment; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Affimed: Research Funding; Affimed: Research Funding; Trillium: Research Funding; LAM Therapeutics: Research Funding; Affimed: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; LAM Therapeutics: Research Funding; Regeneron: Research Funding; Regeneron: Research Funding; Affimed: Research Funding; Affimed: Research Funding; Regeneron: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; LAM Therapeutics: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; LAM Therapeutics: Research Funding; Trillium: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Affimed: Research Funding; Regeneron: Research Funding; Trillium: Research Funding; LAM Therapeutics: Research Funding; LAM Therapeutics: Research Funding; Trillium: Research Funding; Mayo Clinic Rochester: Employment; Regeneron: Research Funding; Trillium: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Trillium: Research Funding; Affimed: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Mayo Clinic Rochester: Employment; Mayo Clinic Rochester: Employment; Mayo Clinic Rochester: Employment; Regeneron: Research Funding; Mayo Clinic Rochester: Employment. O'Brien:Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Acerta: Research Funding; Alexion: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; Aptose Biosciences, Inc: Consultancy; Astellas: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Eisai: Consultancy; Gilead: Consultancy, Research Funding; GlaxoSmithKline: Consultancy; Kite: Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Pharmacyclics LLC, an AbbVie Company: Consultancy, Research Funding; Regeneron: Research Funding; Verastem: Consultancy; Sunesis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Vaniam Group LLC: Consultancy; TG Therapeutics: Consultancy, Research Funding. Chavez:Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Speakers Bureau; Kite Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Genentech: Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Duell:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Research Funding. Martin:I-MAB: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Sandoz: Consultancy; Teneobio: Consultancy. Charnas:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Ambati:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Adriaens:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Ufkin:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Zhu:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Li:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Gasparini:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Ibrahim:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Jankovic:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Fiaschi:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Aina:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Zhang:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Deering:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Hamon:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Thurston:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Murphy:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Weinreich:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Yancopoulos:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Lowy:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Sternberg:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Topp:Amgen: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Boehringer Ingelheim: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; KITE: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Roche: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. OffLabel Disclosure: The data described in the abstract will report on use REGN1979 in a Phase 1 clinical trial of patients with B-NHL.

Background Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) in adults. R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone) remains the standard of care for newly diagnosed DLBCL, with cure rates of 60-70%. However, more effective front-line options are needed to further improve outcomes, particularly in high-risk patients (Sehn LH, Gascoyne RD. Blood 2015;125:22). Approximately 15-20% of treatment-naïve patients with DLBCL have CD20-low expressing tumors, while CD19 is expressed in >90% of DLBCL. CD20-low DLBCL is associated with poor response to rituximab-based regimens (Johnson NA, et al. Blood 2009;113:3773; Prevodnik VK, et al. Diagnostic Pathol 2011;6:33). CD19 is a B-lymphocyte lineage-specific surface antigen that is widely expressed in mature B-cell malignancies, including DLBCL. CD19 functions as a positive regulator of B-cell receptor signaling and is important for B-cell activation and proliferation, and is, therefore, an attractive therapeutic target in addition to CD20. Tafasitamab (MOR208) is a humanized anti-CD19 monoclonal antibody with an engineered constant region (Fc) that enhances Fc-γ receptor binding affinity on effector cells, thereby enhancing antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and phagocytosis (ADCP). Preliminary data in DLBCL cell lines suggest that combined targeting of CD19 and CD20 with tafasitamab and rituximab, respectively, could have synergistic cytotoxic effects. Monotherapy with tafasitamab has shown clinical activity and acceptable safety in a Phase I study in relapsed/refractory (R/R) chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (NCT01161511) and in a Phase IIa study in R/R NHL (NCT01685008). In patients with R/R DLBCL, treatment with single agent tafasitamab until progression led to a 26% objective response rate (ORR) with several long-term responses (Jurczak W, et al. Ann Oncol 2018; 29:1266). Preclinical in vitro and in vivo data have demonstrated increased combinatorial antitumor effects with tafasitamab and the immunomodulatory agent lenalidomide (LEN). In the Phase II, single-arm L-MIND study (NCT02399085) in patients with R/R DLBCL, treatment with tafasitamab/LEN achieved an ORR of 60%, a complete response (CR) rate of 42.5% and a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 12.1 months (Salles GA, et al. ICML 2019; Abstr 124). This combination received breakthrough therapy designation by the US Food and Drug Administration. Study design and methods First-MIND is a Phase Ib, open-label, multicenter, randomized trial of tafasitamab/R-CHOP or tafasitamab/LEN/R-CHOP in patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL (Figure 1). Patients must be aged ≥18 years, treatment naïve, with histologically confirmed DLBCL not otherwise specified and have intermediate- to high-risk disease (International Prognostic Index 2-5). Key exclusion criteria include known double- or triple-hit lymphoma, and transformed or composite lymphoma. Treatment consists of six 21-day cycles of tafasitamab (12 mg/kg intravenously [IV], on Days [D] 1, 8 and 15) in addition to R-CHOP (Arm A) or tafasitamab (12 mg/kg IV, on D1, 8 and 15) and LEN (25 mg orally, on D1-10) in addition to R-CHOP (Arm B). The trial includes a safety run-in phase and a main phase. In the safety run-in phase, 12 patients will be enrolled in each arm. If no unexpected safety signals suspected to be related to the addition of tafasitamab ± LEN to R-CHOP are observed, an additional 18 patients will be enrolled in each arm in the main phase. The primary objective of the trial is to assess safety; secondary objectives include evaluation of efficacy (ORR and PET-assessed CR rate at end of treatment, PFS, overall survival, event-free survival, time to next anti-lymphoma treatment), long-term safety and pharmacokinetics, and immunogenicity of tafasitamab in each arm. Exploratory objectives will include the assessment of biomarkers in peripheral blood (natural killer [NK] cell count, cell-free circulating tumor DNA) and tumor tissue (DLBCL cell of origin, NK cell or macrophage count/gene expression profile, CD19 and CD20 expression) that may be relevant to the mechanism of action and/or response to study treatment. As this is a Phase Ib study to primarily explore safety, no formal statistical hypothesis is considered for the sample size calculation; approximately 60 patients will be recruited across Europe and the US. Disclosures Burke: Gilead: Consultancy; Roche/Genentech: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy. André:Celgene: Other: Travel grants, Research Funding; Chugai: Research Funding; Takeda Millenium: Research Funding; Johnson & Johnson: Research Funding; Amgen: Other: Travel grants, Research Funding; Roche: Other: Travel grants, Research Funding; Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Seattle Genetics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bristol-Myers-Squibb: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Karyopharm: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel grants. Cheson:Genentech: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Gilead: Research Funding; Acerta: Consultancy, Research Funding; Kite: Research Funding; Epizyme: Research Funding; Morphosys: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AstraZeneca: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pharmacyclics: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Symbios: Equity Ownership, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Abbvie: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Trillium: Research Funding; TG Therapeutics: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Bristol Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Portola: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Duell:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Research Funding. Nowakowski:Genentech, Inc.: Research Funding; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Research Funding; Selvita: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; NanoString: Research Funding; MorphoSys: Consultancy, Research Funding; Curis: Research Funding; Bayer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding. Rosenwald:MorphoSys: Consultancy. Salles:Roche, Janssen, Gilead, Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Educational events; BMS: Honoraria; Novartis, Servier, AbbVie, Karyopharm, Kite, MorphoSys: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Educational events; Autolus: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Educational events; Epizyme: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria, Other: Educational events; Merck: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Sharman:Acerta: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; TG Therapeutics: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Pharmacyclics LLC, an AbbVie Company: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Genentech: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding. Staber:Roche: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Takeda-Millenium: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Gilead: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; MSD: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; AbbVie: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Trněný:Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Gilead Sciences: Consultancy, Honoraria; Incyte: Consultancy, Honoraria; MorphoSys: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; F. Hoffmann-La Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria. Westin:Novartis: Other: Advisory Board, Research Funding; Juno: Other: Advisory Board; Unum: Research Funding; Curis: Other: Advisory Board, Research Funding; Genentech: Other: Advisory Board, Research Funding; Kite: Other: Advisory Board, Research Funding; Celgene: Other: Advisory Board, Research Funding; 47 Inc: Research Funding; MorphoSys: Other: Advisory Board; Janssen: Other: Advisory Board, Research Funding. Brugger:MorphoSys: Employment; AstraZeneca: Equity Ownership. Fingerle-Rowson:MorphoSys AG: Employment. Klanova:MorphoSys AG: Employment. Würth:MorphoSys AG: Employment. Truemper:Janssen Oncology: Consultancy; Nordic Nanovector: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy, Research Funding; Seattle Genetics, Inc.: Research Funding; Roche: Research Funding; Mundipharma: Research Funding.

Abstract Introduction REGN1979 is an anti-CD20 x anti-CD3 bispecific IgG4 antibody (Ab) modified to reduce Fc binding. Engaging both targets results in CD20-specific, local T-cell activation and cytotoxicity, a mechanism of action distinct from standard anti-CD20 Abs. We report updated promising efficacy results of a Phase 1 trial of REGN1979 in patients (pts) with relapsed/refactory (R/R) B-NHL previously treated with anti-CD20 Abs. Methods The primary objectives of the study are to determine safety, tolerability, and occurrence of dose limiting toxicities (DLTs). Other objectives include assessment of preliminary antitumor activity, pharmacokinetics (PK), and pharmacodynamics. Eligible pts with R/R NHL must have received at least 1 prior CD20-directed therapy. Treatment consists of 12 weekly doses of REGN1979 followed by every 2 week dosing for 12 doses for a total of 36 weeks. Guidelines are provided for management of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and include steroids and/or tocilizumab at investigator discretion. Results As of June 1, 2018, 54 pts with B-NHL were treated with REGN1979 monotherapy: DLBCL (pt number [n]=30), FL (n=16), MCL (n=5), MZL (n=2), and WM (n=1). The median number of prior regimens was 3 (range, 1-11); 41 pts were refractory to their last prior systemic therapy, 18 had bulky disease, and 6 had prior HSCT. Pts were treated with REGN1979 0.03-27 mg and received a median of 7 (range, 1-24) doses. Eight pts remain on treatment, 13 completed treatment, and 33 discontinued therapy prior to the planned 36 wks (majority [n=22] due to progressive disease [PD]). There have been no DLTs to date. The most common treatment-related treatment-emergent adverse events (TR-TEAEs) included infusion-related reactions (IRR) or CRS; 26 pts experienced CRS (Grade 1-2, n=23; Grade 3, n=3) with a median duration of CRS of 2 (range 1-15) days. Six pts received tocilizumab. The severity of CRS symptoms declined through optimized pre-medication even with REGN1979 dose escalation. Other common Grade ≥3 TR-TEAEs were lymphocytopenia/ decreased lymphocyte count (n=8); neutropenia/ decreased neutrophil count (n=7); and thrombocytopenia/ decreased platelet count, hypotension, hypophosphatemia, and anemia (each n=3). Seventeen pts experienced a nervous system event including headache, dizziness, paraesthesia, dysgeusia, and peripheral neuropathy with no Grade ≥3 events; no neurologic event required termination of study drug. Seven pts died on study: PD (n=5), gastric perforation (n=1), and cardiac arrest (n=1). TEAEs leading to premature discontinuation of REGN1979 were Grade 3 fatigue (n=1), Grade 3 hemolysis (n=1), and Grade 2 pyrexia/Grade 2 tachycardia (n=1). Among 27 pts treated with REGN1979 ≥5 mg (dose associated with tumor killing in pre-clinical data), the overall response rate (ORR) was 55.6% (5 complete response [CR] and 10 partial response [PR]; Table/Figure). Responses were seen in 7/7 FL Grade 1-3a pts (5 CR, 2 PR), 6/15 DLBCL pts (all PR), 2/2 MCL pts (all PR). At 18 mg and 27 mg of REGN1979, 4 of 4 pts with DLBCL had best response of PR. Post data cut-off, 1 pt with a DLBCL best response of PR converted to CR. PK and pharmacodynamic assessments suggest that for pts treated with REGN1979 5-18 mg, best exposures in the first 3 weeks appear to linearly increase with dose. In pts treated with up to REGN1979 18 mg, a maximum mean Ctrough of 1.6 mcg/mL was observed in the first 3 weeks of weekly dosing. Studies of peripheral blood biomarkers demonstrated depletion of peripheral B lymphocytes, transient margination of circulating T-cells, and elevated circulating cytokines following REGN1979 dosing. Increased peak cytokine levels (IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-alpha) were observed in pts with CRS. Immunohistological analysis of malignant lymph node tissue demonstrated a decrease of CD20 expression in responding pts; among the responders, subsequent relapse was associated with either maintenance of CD20 expression or further CD20 loss, suggesting antigen-dependent and independent disease escape mechanisms. Conclusions REGN1979 displays efficacy and an acceptable safety profile in pts with R/R B-NHL. Most TR-TEAEs were IRR/CRS and have been well managed with supportive care. No significant neurological toxicity has been observed. At doses of 5-27 mg of REGN1979, the preliminary ORR was 100% in pts with FL Grade 1-3a and 40.0% in pts with DLBCL. This promising efficacy warrants further clinical investigation. Disclosures Bannerji: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Consultancy; AbbVie, Inc.: Consultancy. Arnason:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Consultancy. Advani:Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals: Other: Consultancy/Advisory Role; Janssen Pharmaceutical: Other: Institutional Research Support; Bristol Myers Squibb: Other: Consultancy/Advisory role and Institutional Research Support; Pharmacyclics: Other: Institutional Research Support; Takeda: Other: Consultancy/Advisory Role; Millenium: Other: Institutional Research Support; Gilead/Kite: Other: Consultancy/Advisory Role; Infinity: Other: Institutional Research Support; Merck: Other: Institutional Research Support; Forty Seven, Inc: Other: Institutional Research Support; Cell Medica: Other: Consultancy/Advisory Role; Agensys: Other: Institutional Research Support; Celgene: Other: Institutional Research Support; Seattle Genetics: Other: Consultancy/Advisory role, Institutional Research Support; Kura: Other: Institutional Research Support; Roche/Genentech: Other: Consultancy/Advisory Role, Institutional Research Support; Kyowa: Other: Consulting/Advisory Role; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Other: Institutional Research Support; Autolus: Other: Consultancy/Advisory Role; AstraZeneca: Other: Consultancy/Advisory Role. Brown:Acerta / Astra-Zeneca: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Verastem: Consultancy, Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Genentech: Consultancy; TG Therapeutics: Consultancy; Morphosys: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Consultancy; Abbvie: Consultancy; Gilead: Consultancy, Research Funding; Sun Pharmaceutical Industries: Research Funding; Sunesis: Consultancy; Loxo: Consultancy; Beigene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Invectys: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche/Genentech: Consultancy; Boehringer: Consultancy. Allan:Genentech: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Verastem: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sunesis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Acerta: Consultancy. Ansell:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Affimed: Research Funding; Regeneron: Research Funding; Merck & Co: Research Funding; LAM Therapeutics: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; Trillium: Research Funding; Celldex: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding. O'Brien:Kite Pharma: Research Funding; Aptose Biosciences Inc.: Consultancy; Pharmacyclics: Consultancy, Research Funding; GlaxoSmithKline: Consultancy; Astellas: Consultancy; Sunesis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Alexion: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; TG Therapeutics: Consultancy, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding; Vaniam Group LLC: Consultancy; Regeneron: Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Abbvie: Consultancy; Acerta: Research Funding; Gilead: Consultancy, Research Funding. Chavez:Genentech: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Merck: Research Funding; Kite: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Humanigen: Consultancy. Lowy:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Charnas:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Sternberg:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Ambati:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Adriaens:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Ufkin:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Yan:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Li:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Navarro:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment. Gasparini:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Jankovic:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Fiaschi:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Zhang:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Hamon:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Thurston:Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Topp:Amgen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel, Research Funding; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Boehringer Ingelheim: Research Funding; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Honoraria, Research Funding.