Tafasitamab Approval Expands Chemotherapy-Free Treatment Options for R/R Follicular Lymphoma: Christina Poh, MD

The FDA recently approved tafasitamab (Monjuvi; Incyte/MorphoSys) in combination with lenalidomide and rituximab for adults with relapsed or refractory (R/R) follicular lymphoma, based on data from the inMIND clinical trial (NCT04680052).

In an interview with The American Journal of Managed Care^®, Christina Poh, MD, a physician and clinical researcher at City of Hope National Medical Center, discusses key findings from the trial, the potential benefits of tafasitamab for this patient population, and opportunities for further research.

This transcript was lightly edited; captions were auto-generated.

Transcript

Can you summarize the key findings of the inMIND trial and how they supported the FDA's approval of tafasitamab in combination with lenalidomide and rituximab for adults with R/R follicular lymphoma?

The inMIND trial was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial. It evaluated the addition of tafasitamab to rituximab and lenalidomide in patients with relapsed or refractory indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and that included follicular and marginal-zone lymphoma.

The primary end point of this study was progression-free survival [PFS] in the follicular lymphoma cohort. The results show that the addition of tafasitamab resulted in a significant improvement in PFS, with a median PFS of 22.4 months compared with 13.9 months in the control arm. This translated to a 50% reduction in the risk of progression, relapse, or death.

The benefit was consistently observed among pre-specified subgroups, especially including patients who were heavily pre-treated, those who were POD24 [had Progression of Disease Within 24 Months] status, and patients who were refractory to prior rituximab. While overall survival data remains immature, there is a favorable trend that has been observed with tafasitamab.

In terms of safety, the safety profile in the study was manageable and consistent with the known toxicities of the individual agents. There were no new toxicity signals identified with any of the agents.

How would you describe the current standard of care for R/R follicular lymphoma? What does this recent approval add to the treatment landscape, especially for those who have undergone multiple lines of therapy?

Follicular lymphoma is typically an indolent yet chronic disease, and it's characterized by frequent relapse, making durable disease control a central therapeutic goal. We have several treatment options for follicular lymphoma currently. Some are chemotherapeutic-based, others are non-chemotherapeutic agents, but there are a limited number of treatment options.

The recent FDA approval of tafasitamab in combination with lenalidomide and rituximab is a significant advancement in the follicular lymphoma treatment landscape because it provides an additional chemotherapy-free treatment option for these patients. Specifically, the [inMIND trial] results showed that the treatment was manageable and it was effective across the whole follicular lymphoma population, including those who had high-risk disease.

Looking ahead, what are the most pressing unanswered questions in follicular lymphoma research?

A few important areas of unmet need in follicular lymphoma still remain. Those include further identifying patients who have high-risk follicular lymphoma and evaluating or finding novel treatments for the whole follicular lymphoma population, but specifically for patients with high-risk follicular lymphoma.

We have multiple therapies for follicular lymphoma, which is great, but more research is needed in regard to how to sequence these therapies.