Tafasitamab
Regulatory sources consulted
Approved indications
- Relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma not otherwise specified, including disease arising from low-grade lymphoma, in adults not eligible for autologous transplantation, with lenalidomide. This indication received accelerated approval, and continued approval may depend on confirmation of clinical benefit.
- Relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma in adults, with lenalidomide and rituximab.
Clinical warnings
- Major warning · Monitor for infusion reactions, severe myelosuppression, and serious, fatal, or opportunistic infections, including progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. — OpenFDA MONJUVI UUID a70f85e0-c22b-419a-9be2-51f575932633 (tafasitamab-cxix)
Adverse events
Common (≥1%)
neutropenia · respiratory infection · fatigue · anemia · diarrhea · thrombocytopenia · cough · pyrexia · edema · decreased appetite · rash · constipation · musculoskeletal pain
Rare but serious
serious or fatal infection · progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy · severe myelosuppression
Pregnancy and lactation
Lenalidomide is contraindicated in pregnancy and requires its pregnancy-prevention program. Tafasitamab can cause fetal B-cell depletion; use contraception during treatment and for 3 months afterward. Do not breastfeed during treatment or for 3 months afterward. In infants exposed in utero, postpone live vaccines until hematologic evaluation.
Recent literature (PubMed)
Tafasitamab, an anti-CD19 immunotherapy, is used with lenalidomide for patients with autologous stem cell transplant-ineligible relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma based on the results of the phase II L-MIND study (NCT02399085). We report the final 5-year analysis of this study. Eighty patients ≥18 years who had received one to three prior systemic therapies, and had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0-2 received up to 12 cycles of co-administered tafasitamab and lenalidomide, followed by tafasitamab monotherapy until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint was the best objective response rate. Secondary endpoints included duration of response, progression-free survival, overall survival, and safety. Exploratory analyses evaluated efficacy endpoints by prior lines of therapy. At data cutoff on November 14, 2022, the objective response rate was 57.5%, with a complete response rate of 41.3% (n=33), which was consistent with prior analyses. With a median follow-up of 44.0 months, the median duration of response was not reached. The median progression-free survival was 11.6 months (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 5.7-45.7) with a median follow-up of 45.6 months. The median overall survival was 33.5 months (95% CI: 18.3-not reached) with a median follow-up of 65.6 months. Patients who had received one prior line of therapy (n=40) showed a higher objective response rate (67.5%; 52.5% complete responses) compared to patients who had received two or more prior lines of therapy (n=40; 47.5%; 30% complete responses), but the median duration of response was not reached in either subgroup. Other exploratory analyses revealed consistent long-term efficacy results across subgroups. Adverse events were consistent with those described in previous reports, were manageable, and their frequency decreased during tafasitamab monotherapy, with no new safety concerns. This final 5-year analysis of L-MIND demonstrates that the
Follicular lymphoma is characterised by episodes of remission and relapse, with patients requiring multiple lines of therapy. Lenalidomide plus rituximab is a commonly used immunotherapy combination in patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of adding tafasitamab, a CD19-targeted Fc-enhanced monoclonal antibody, to lenalidomide and rituximab in this setting. This phase 3, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial (inMIND) was done in 210 centres (including community-based haematology clinics, major hospitals, and academic institutions) in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. Adults with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma, who had received at least one previous line of systemic therapy, were eligible for enrolment and randomly assigned (1:1) to receive treatment with up to 12 cycles (28-day cycle length) of tafasitamab (12 mg/kg by intravenous infusion on days 1, 8, 15, and 22 of cycles 1-3 and days 1 and 15 of cycles 4-12) or placebo, both with lenalidomide (20 mg/day orally on days 1-21 of cycles 1-12) and rituximab (375 mg/m2 by intravenous infusion on days 1, 8, 15, and 22 of cycle 1 and day 1 of cycles 2-5). Treatment assignment was achieved via an interactive voice or web response system; patients, investigators, and the funder were masked until the primary analysis. Study endpoints were investigator assessed unless otherwise specified. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival in the intention-to-treat population of all randomised patients; safety was assessed in all randomised patients who received at least one dose of study drug. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04680052) and EUDRA-CT (2020-004407-13) and is active but no longer enrolling. Between April 16, 2021, and Aug 10, 2023, a total of 817 patients were assessed for eligibility; 548 patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma were enrolled and randomly assigned to treatm
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is an aggressive, yet curable, malignancy, but older patients are at higher risk of relapsed disease because they may not be eligible for full-intensity frontline chemoimmunotherapy or have comorbidities that limit standard treatments. Recent years have brought more treatment options than ever for this patient population, but it remains challenging to determine which can be safely and effectively offered to older patients. Formal determinations of fitness including geriatric assessments remain critical, but there is less guidance on how to best use this tool in the relapsed setting. Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy is accessible to older patients, provided they can be supported through the intensive road to this treatment. If relapse occurs despite this or alternative therapies are preferred, many novel therapeutic options and combinations exist with some potential modifications for older adults, such as bispecific antibodies, tafasitamab and lenalidomide, polatuzumab-containing regimens, or loncastuximab tesirine. This article provides a summary of our approach to the management of this diverse population of older patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL.