Roche's Polivy regimen significantly improves outcomes in first-line DLBCL (POLARIX study outcome)

Roche's Genentech unit announced that a Phase III trial investigating Polivy (polatuzumab vedotin), anti-CD79b antibody-drug conjugate, in combination with a chemotherapy regimen of rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and prednisone (R-CHP) for the first-line treatment of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) met its primary endpoint.

The POLARIX study randomised 879 patients with previously untreated DLBCL to receive Polivy plus R-CHP or rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (R-CHOP).

Results showed that the Polivy regimen demonstrated significantly improved and clinically meaningful progression-free survival versus R-CHOP. Genentech noted that findings from the POLARIX study will be submitted to health authorities. 

Polivy gained accelerated approval in the US in 2019, in combination with rituximab and bendamustine, for adults with relapsed or refractory DLBCL, and was granted conditional approval in Europe in the 2020.