AbbVie cuts DLBCL progression risk by 51% with epcoritamab

AbbVie and Genmab announced positive topline results on October 5, 2026, from the Phase 3 EPCORE DLBCL-2 trial evaluating epcoritamab combined with standard-of-care R-CHOP in newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The study evaluated patients with an International Prognostic Index (IPI) score between 2 and 5.

The combination therapy reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 51% compared to R-CHOP alone (hazard ratio 0.49; p-value < 0.0001) in both the primary endpoint population with an IPI score of 3 to 5 and across the overall cohort with scores of 2 to 5. Safety was generally well tolerated and consistent with the established profiles of the individual treatments.

Following the first planned interim efficacy analysis, the Independent Data Monitoring Committee recommended unblinding the study. DLBCL is an aggressive cancer representing approximately 25% to 30% of non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases globally, with roughly 25,000 new diagnoses annually in the United States.

Epcoritamab is already approved in more than 65 countries under brand names including Epkinly and Tepkinly for certain relapsed or refractory indications. AbbVie leads global commercialization outside the United States and Japan, and both companies plan to engage global regulatory agencies regarding these frontline results.