Dr Falchi on Responses With Epcoritamab Plus R2 in R/R Follicular Lymphoma

"The study met both of its primary end points. The addition of epcoritamab [to] R² led to a 79% reduction in the risk of progression or death compared with R² alone. The ORR was 95% vs 79% [for the combination] vs R² [alone]; that also [reflected] an advantage in CR rates.”

Lorenzo Falchi, MD, a medical oncologist and hematologist and assistant attending physician in the Lymphoma Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, expanded on primary efficacy data from the phase 3 EPCORE FL-1 trial (NCT05409066), which evaluated the combination of epcoritamab-bysp (Epkinly) in combination with rituximab (Rituxan), and lenalidomide (R²) in patients with follicular lymphoma.

Findings presented at the 2025 ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition showed that the trial met its primary end points of overall response rate (ORR) and progression free survival with the addition of the bispecific antibody to the R2 backbone, Falchi reported. At a median follow-up of 14.8 months, the median progression-free survival (PFS) per independent review committee was not estimable for the epcoritamab plus R2 group, compared with 11.7 months for R2 alone. This resulted in a 79% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death (HR, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.14-0.31; P <.0001). The concordance rate for PFS between independent review and investigator assessment was 94%. Furthermore, the estimated 16-month PFS rate was 85.5% for the epcoritamab triplet versus 40.2% for the doublet.

Response rates were similarly robust. The epcoritamab regimen elicited an overall response rate (ORR) of 95%, significantly higher than the 79% achieved with R2 alone (P <.0001). Specifically, the complete response (CR) rate was 83% for the epcoritamab arm versus 50% for those receiving R2 only. Within the triplet arm, 12% of patients achieved a partial response, while only 3% experienced progressive disease.

Falchi concluded that the efficacy and safety profile of the epcoritamab-based regimen, characterized by manageable toxicities and high CR rates, supports the outpatient administration in the first-line setting.