Seattle Genetics/Takeda’s Adcetris to treat Hodgkin’s lymphoma will continue to lead the market in the U.S. and is likely to gain swift popularity following its anticipated label extension in Europe from early 2016, according to an analyst with research and consulting firm GlobalData.

Stelios Tzellos, Ph.D., GlobalData’s Analyst covering Oncology and Hematology, says the therapy was lauded as potentially transformational in the Hodgkin’s lymphoma treatment market at the recent 2015 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Meeting and Exposition held in Orlando, Florida.

Tzellos explains: “Adcetris, a CD30-targeting agent, demonstrated a remarkable increase in progression-free survival (PFS) compared with placebo in the new post-autologous transplantation setting. Data presented at ASH indicated that the median PFS was not reached in the Adcetris-treatment arm, while it was less than 16 months in the placebo arm.

“GlobalData expects that these new data will propel Adcetris towards regulatory approval in Europe in early 2016, leading to its rapid uptake in the Hodgkin’s lymphoma treatment space. The size of the Adcetris target patient population will expand, and Seattle Genetics hopes this will support its goal to establish the therapy as the foundation of care for Hodgkin’s lymphoma.”

Meanwhile, Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) and Merck and Co., two other major players who presented clinical trial data at ASH, will race to bring their anti-PD-1 therapies to the Hodgkin’s lymphoma arena. According to GlobalData’s research, BMS’s Opdivo is slightly ahead of Merck’s Keytruda in terms of clinical efficacy.

Tzellos continues: “Although Adcetris will surely gain dominance in its field due to its ability to induce durable remission and long-term survival in heavily pre-treated relapsed and refractory Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients, Seattle Genetics is taking steps to fend off competition from the two oncology juggernauts.

“For example, the company is collaborating with BMS to investigate the combination of Adcetris and Opdivo in the salvage setting of relapsed and refractory Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients who fail standard front-line chemotherapy.

“With Seattle Genetics also evaluating the combination of Adcetris with Treanda in the same setting, GlobalData believes the company has chosen a successful strategy to stay ahead in the Hodgkin’s lymphoma treatment space.”

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