Zynlonta manufacturer ADC Therapeutics is continuing to prune its pipeline, calling time on its sole clinical-stage candidate after taking a look at the early-stage data.
The asset in question, a CD22-targeting antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) dubbed ADCT-602, was being assessed as a treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The study was sponsored by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
But the biopharma said that, “based on the available clinical data,” it is discontinuing the trial, according to a May 14 release.
ADC Therapeutics made a similar call in January 2024 for ADCT-901, a KAAG1-targeting ADC that the company discontinued due to “limited signs of efficacy … and to reallocate capital to prioritized programs.” By November of last year, the biopharma was also pulling the plug on ADCT-601, an AXL-targeting candidate for sarcoma, pancreatic cancer and non-small cell lung cancer, after viewing the clinical data.
While the company has a number of preclinical exatecan-based ADCs in the works targeting Claudin-6, PSMA and ASCT2, the focus of this morning’s earnings release was Zynlonta, a CD19-directed ADC approved for relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) after two or more lines of systemic therapy.
ADC Therapeutics CEO Ameet Mallik used his statement to highlight data from the phase 1b LOTIS-7 trial, which has so far showed that Zynlonta alongside Roche’s Columvi produced an overall response rate of 95.5% among 22 patients with relapsed or refractory DLCBCL.
“We are encouraged by the promising LOTIS-7 abstract data, which we believe demonstrate the potential for Zynlonta plus glofitamab to be a best-in-class combination in a dynamic market,” Mallik said in the release. “Coupled with the progress of our LOTIS-5 confirmatory trial, we are confident in our path forward and the potential of Zynlonta as we pursue the substantially larger opportunity in earlier lines of DLBCL therapy.”