Seattle Genetics Inc. announced data which include encouraging long-term outcomes from a Phase I trial evaluating ADCETRIS, or brentuximab vedotin, in combination with AVD chemotherapy in frontline Hodgkin lymphoma, or HL, as well as strong activity evaluating ADCETRIS combination therapy in second-line HL and ADCETRIS monotherapy or combination therapy in frontline HL patients age 60 and older. ADCETRIS is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) directed to CD30, which is expressed in classical HL and systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (sALCL), a type of T-cell lymphoma. This Phase I trial was conducted to evaluate ADCETRIS plus the chemotherapy regimen ABVD (Adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine) or ADCETRIS plus AVD, which removes bleomycin, for the treatment of newly diagnosed advanced stage HL patients.

Data previously presented from this trial demonstrated that 24 of 25 patients (96%) who received ADCETRIS plus AVD achieved a complete remission and 21 of 22 patients (95%) who completed therapy with ADCETRIS plus ABVD achieved a complete remission. The most common adverse events of any grade occurring in more than 30% of patients across both treatment regimens were hair loss, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, insomnia, nausea, neutropenia, peripheral sensory neuropathy, fever and vomiting. As previously reported, pulmonary toxicity was seen in the ADCETRIS plus ABVD cohorts, resulting in a contraindication for the concomitant administration of ADCETRIS and bleomycin.

No pulmonary toxicity was observed in the ADCETRIS plus AVD cohort. Long-term data include: In the ADCETRIS plus AVD arm, three-year overall survival was 100% and three-year failure-free survival was 92%. In the ADCETRIS plus ABVD arm, three-year overall survival was 92% and three-year failure-free survival was 79%; and Patients were followed for a median of 36 months in the ADCETRIS plus AVD arm and 45 months in the ADCETRIS plus ABVD arm.