Micromet's Blinatumomab Produces Durable Responses in Patients with Relapsed Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma Patients

New findings from a phase 1 trial presented yesterday at the 53rd Annual American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting demonstrate Micromet's blinatumomab induces durable responses in patients with extensively pre-treated diffuse large B cell lymphoma. Blinatumomab is the first of a new class of agents called BiTE® antibodies, designed to harness the body's T cells to kill cancer cells. Data presented at the meeting focused on a cohort of 13 patients with DLBCL, of which 11 received the target dose and were evaluable for response. Of these 11 patients, 6 (55%) achieved an objective response following treatment with blinatumomab. 4 of 11 patients (38%) achieved a complete response. Patients were treated with a single course of blinatumomab induction therapy for up to eight weeks. As of October 2011, 5 of 6 patients had ongoing responses for up to 16.6 months. The median duration of response had not been reached with a median observation time of 7.1 months. All patients enrolled in this study had received prior rituximab-containing regimens. Most had received three or more prior lines of therapy, including 8 of 13 patients with prior autologous stem cell transplant. Micromet MITI is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative antibody-based therapies for the treatment of cancer.