Gilead's CAR-T Yescarta Shows 78% Complete Response Rate In First-Line Lymphoma Patients

Kite Pharma, a Gilead Science Inc company GILD, churned out more data for its CAR-T Yescarta in first-line lymphoma patients. 

• The Company shared the data at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition.
• In updated results from the Phase 2 ZUMA-12 study, Yescarta posted a 78% complete response rate among 37 patients with high-risk large B cell lymphoma at a median follow-up of 15.9 months.
• All median survival checkpoints hadn't been reached at a median of 15.9 months after infusion. Still, Kite floated 12-month outcomes estimates of 81% for durable responders, 73% for event-free survival, 75% for progression-free survival, and 91% for patients alive.
• On the safety front, grade 3 or higher cytokine release syndrome occurred in 8% of patients, and 23% experienced a Grade 3 or higher neurological event. 
• There were no deaths tied to treatment with Yescarta, although one patient died from COVID-19. 
• All but one CRS and neurological events were resolved through treatment by the data cutoff.
• Related Link: Gilead's Kite Unveils More Data On Yescarta In Second-Line Lymphoma Patients.
• Price Action: GILD shares closed at $70.61 on Monday.
• Check out our coverage of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting 2021 here.