MOR208: a new antibody therapy for relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

This study investigated the safety and effectiveness of MOR208 in patients with relapsed or refractory (does not respond to treatment) non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This study concluded that MOR208 monotherapy was safe and showed promising results in these patients.

Chemoimmunotherapy is the current standard first-line treatment for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and follicular lymphoma (FL).  Typically, these regimens contain rituximab (Rituxan). However, many patients relapse or develop refractory disease after initial treatment.

MOR208 is a new antibody therapy. This type of treatment specifically targets cancer cells for attack by the body’s immune system. This leads to cancer cell death without affecting healthy cells. Whether MOR208 is safe and effective in patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL or FL remains under investigation.

This study involved 92 patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The most common types of lymphoma were DLBCL (38%) and follicular lymphoma (FL; 36.9%). 86% (DLBCL) and 85% (FL) of patients had stage 3 – 4 disease. All patients received at least two cycles of MOR208. The average follow-up period was 21 months.

Overall, 26% (DLBCL) and 29% (FL) of patients responded to treatment. Of these, 5.71% (DLBCL) and 8.82% (FL) of patients had a complete response (disappearance of cancer). 20% (DLBCL) and 20.6% (FL) had a partial response (tumor shrinkage). 17% of all patients discontinued treatment due to disease progression.

At follow-up, the average progression-free survival was 2.7 months (DLBCL) and 8.8 months (FL). One-year progression free survival was 39% in both patient groups.

3% of all patients discontinued treatment due to side effects. 12% of patients reported mild to moderate infusion-related reactions or low white blood cell count. 40% of patients also reported severe or life-threatening side effects. These included low white blood cell count (9%), low platelet count (4%), anemia (3%). All patients with low white blood cell count recovered within 1 week.

This study concluded that MOR208 monotherapy was safe and showed promising results in patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. MOR208 is under further development in combination therapies.

This study received funding support from MorphoSys, the company that manufactures MOR208. The patient population in this study was also quite small.