Dr. Flinn Discusses Hu5F9-G4 Plus Rituximab in NHL

Ian Flinn, MD, director of the Blood Cancer Research Program, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses Hu5F9-G4 (5F9) plus rituximab (Rituxan) in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).

The antibody 5F9 is directed against CD47. It functions similarly to a checkpoint inhibitor, but is targeted toward the innate immune system, Flinn explains. CD47 is expressed on a variety of tumor cells, and having an antibody that blocks it gives the innate immune system an opportunity to attack the lymphoma cells, he adds.

There was in vitro data to suggest that 5F9 and rituximab would work synergistically together, leading to an analysis in patients with NHL. The combination had a particularly positive benefit for patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. In an analysis of the combination in 22 patients with NHL reported at the 2018 ASCO Annual Meeting, 8 patients had complete responses and 3 others had partial responses. Three patients had stable disease, resulting in a disease control rate of 64%. The side effects were not unexpected, Flinn says.