Polivy combo's swift approval adds new lymphoma option

Shares in Roche (ROG: SIX) were 2% higher by lunchtime on Tuesday following the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the first chemo-immunotherapy regimen for patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

The combination approved was Polivy (polatuzumab vedotin-piiq), an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that specifically targets CD79b, a protein expressed in the majority of B-cells, plus bendamustine and another Roche drug, MabThera/Rituxan (rituximab).

Patients who have received at least two prior therapies will be considered for treatment. DLBCL is the most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).