IWWM-12 2024 | A Phase II study investigating epcoritamab in the treatment of Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia

Epcoritamab belongs to the class of T-cell engagers, more specifically bispecific T-cell engagers and it’s a new class of immunotherapies that has made great strides in the field of lymphoid malignancies with promising results leading to approval in relapsed follicular lymphoma and also large cell lymphoma. Waldenstrom’s being a rare lymphoma entity has not been studied with this class of medicine so we are very excited to have the opportunity to explore this new class of medicine within the Waldenstrom’s space. This study that is a Phase II study multi-center that will be led out of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center with three collaborating sites, Dana-Farber, UT Southwestern, and Chapel Hill. And really the goal is to explore the efficacy but also the safety of this new drug in patients specifically with Waldenstrom’s. The trial is about to be IRB approved and will open within the next few weeks, we expect. And the goal, in my opinion, for slow-growing lymphoma such as Waldenstrom’s always remains ultimately to cure the disease. And we know from other disease entities, specifically large cell lymphoma, that cure is feasible with immunotherapies. Is the relapsed/refractory setting the ideal place? Probably not, but with clinical trials we start in the relapsed setting and as they demonstrate ongoing benefit, safety and efficacy, they typically are moved more in the upfront setting where we believe they have a greater chance of accomplishing that ultimate goal that has been elusive for now.