Roche and AbbVie are set to compete in the lymphoma market with their newly approved bispecific antibodies (BsAbs). Four weeks after AbbVie's Epkinly was approved, the FDA has given its approval for Roche's Genentech's BsAb, Columvi. Both drugs will be available this summer, leading to a head-to-head competition between the two companies. These therapies utilize bispecific antibody design to bind CD3 on T cells and CD20 on B cells to induce T cell-mediated killing of CD20+ cells.
Both Columvi and Epkinly are indicated for use in relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), with patients having received at least two prior lines of treatment. The similar efficacy results and pricing make it interesting to see which drug comes out on top in terms of safety and patient experience. However, both therapies carry a warning about cytokine release syndrome and require step-up dosing schedules to mitigate risk.
Researchers believe that AbbVie's subcutaneous design for Epkinly may give it an advantage in the safety department as injection