AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) and Genmab A/S (Nasdaq: GMAB) announced positive Phase 3 results for epcoritamab on Oct. 5, 2026—a win that could establish the bispecific antibody as a new frontline standard for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
In the EPCORE DLBCL-2 trial, epcoritamab combined with R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone) cut the risk of disease progression or death by 51 percent for newly diagnosed DLBCL patients with an International Prognostic Index score of two to five. The hazard ratio of 0.49 (95 percent confidence interval 0.36 to 0.67, p-value 0.0001) meets the threshold for clinical significance in a heavily treated disease.
Epcoritamab is a T-cell engaging bispecific antibody given subcutaneously as a fixed treatment duration. The safety profile remained consistent with previously reported profiles for the individual agents.
"These results suggest epcoritamab combined with R-CHOP could offer a potential new standard of care for newly diagnosed DLBCL patients," said Daejin Abidoye, Vice President, Therapeutic Area Head, Oncology, Solid Tumor and Hematology, at AbbVie. DLBCL is an aggressive disease with limited frontline options despite treatment advances.
Jan van de Winkel, Chief Executive Officer of Genmab, called it the first Phase 3 study showing statistically significant progression-free survival improvement with a bispecific antibody combination in this patient group. "The findings have the potential to reshape the frontline treatment landscape," he said.
Gilles Salles, MD, PhD, Chief of the Lymphoma Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and an investigator in EPCORE DLBCL-2, emphasized the clinical meaningfulness of the result. Salles, who participated in the landmark trial that established R-CHOP as a standard of care nearly 25 years ago, called the 51 percent reduction "practice-changing" and an important step forward for bispecific antibody therapy in newly diagnosed DLBCL.
