ADC Therapeutics Stock Declines Following Trial Results
LOZAN - ADC Therapeutics SA (NYSE: ADCT), a biotechnology company specializing in antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), has reported positive preliminary results from a clinical study evaluating the combination of its drug ZYNLONTA with glofitamab for the treatment of relapsed or resistant diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (r/r DLBCL).
Despite the optimistic data, the company's shares experienced a sharp decline of over 20%. The LOTIS-7 Phase 1b study is a global, multicenter trial involving patients with r/r B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL). As of November 20, 2024, a total of 29 patients across various dose levels have been treated and assessed for safety.
The efficacy analysis of the study focused on 18 patients with 2L+ DLBCL receiving the combination of ZYNLONTA® and glofitamab, revealing an impressive 94% overall response rate (ORR) and a 72% complete response rate based on Lugano criteria.
Dr. Mohamed Zaki, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer of ADC Therapeutics, expressed confidence in the data, highlighting the potential additional or synergistic efficacy of the drug combination and its manageable safety profile. Initial safety data showed that the combination therapy was generally well-tolerated, with no dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) reported. Adverse events related to treatment rated grade 3 or higher were limited to neutropenia, lymphopenia, and hypokalemia.
The study also observed cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS); however, all cases were low-grade and resolved with standard treatment. No grade 3 or higher CRS or ICANS, nor any grade 5 treatment-related adverse events were reported.
Ameet Mallik, CEO of ADC Therapeutics, stated that the initial results support the potential of the ZYNLONTA® and glofitamab combination to become a leading combination in the competitive market. The company expects to complete patient enrollment for the dose expansion phase of the study in the first half of 2025 and plans to engage with regulatory agencies as more data becomes available.