The clinical development of obinutuzumab for the treatment of follicular lymphoma

Abstract

Impressive progress has been made in recent decades for advanced-stage follicular lymphoma with the availability of anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies, initially rituximab and more recently obinutuzumab. Obinutuzumab is a unique, third-generation, fully humanized glycoengineered IgG1 type II anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody. It has been shown to have increased antitumor activity compared to rituximab in preclinical studies, including whole-blood B-cell depletion assays, xenograft models, and primate models. This has spurred on the development of obinutuzumab through Phase I/II trials as monotherapy and in combination with chemotherapeutic agents and other targeted therapies. Its efficacy compared to rituximab and in rituximab-refractory disease has led to its continued development and eventual approval for the treatment of follicular lymphoma. Here in this review, we highlight the design and development of obinutuzumab in the treatment of advanced stage grade 1–3A follicular lymphoma and its future directions.

Maintenance therapy with ex vivo expanded lymphokine‐activated killer cells and rituximab in patients with follicular lymphoma is safe and may delay disease progression

“…Chemotherapy does not cure follicular lymphoma (FL) (Huet et al , 2018). The incorporation of anti‐cluster of differentiation 20 (CD20) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), namely rituximab and obinutuzumab, into chemotherapy therapies has improved prognosis (Vidal et al , 2011; Kahl & Yang, 2016; Ma & Ujjani, 2017; Marcus et al , 2017). However, relapses are still a hallmark of FL (Casulo et al , 2015; Gascoyne et al , 2017).…”