Dr. Bannerji on Ongoing Research With REGN1979 in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Rajat Bannerji, MD, PhD, hematologist/oncologist and chief of hematologic malignancies at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, discusses ongoing research with the bispecific antibody REGN1979 in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).

The dual CD3- and CD20-targeted bispecific antibody was evaluated in a phase I study in patients with relapsed/refractory NHL. The dose-escalation and dose-finding portion of the study has completed, says Bannerji. Investigators will continue to enroll to expansion cohorts to better define the activity of the agent in follicular lymphoma and in large cell lymphoma.

Based on the phase I experience, the sponsor has launched a phase II study, which will enroll patients with a number of B-cell lymphomas. Currently, it's open in follicular lymphoma, says Bannerji. In Europe, REGN1979 is being evaluated in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor. Moving forward, the drug will be evaluated as monotherapy and in various combinations to define its optimal role in the space, concludes Bannerji.