Roche's Polivy Combo Boosts Survival In Early-Stage Lymphoma Patients

Roche Holdings AG (OTC: RHHBY) announced results from the Phase 3 POLARIX study of Polivy (polatuzumab vedotin) with MabThera/Rituxan (rituximab) and the chemotherapy regimen R-CHOP. Data were presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition.

• Polivy combination regime cut the risk of disease progression or death over Rituxan-chemo alone by 27% in patients with first-line diffuse large B cell lymphoma.
• In the 879-enrollee Phase 3 POLARIX study, patients dosed with the Polivy combo showed significant improvement on median progression-free survival at a 28.2-month check-in.
• The ADC-based combo posted a Grade 3-4 side effect rate of 57.7% compared with 57.5% for the SOC chemo combo. 
• 3% of patients died in the treatment arm compared with 2.4% in control, and 9.2% of patients in the Polivy arm discontinued due to dosing compared with 13% in the Rituxan-chemo arm.
• The full data backup topline results were released in August, with Roche touting Polivy’s chances at significantly extending patients’ lives.
• Price Action: RHHBY shares are down 2.28% at $49.50 during the market session on the last check Tuesday.
• Check out our coverage of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting 2021 here.