Rituximab combined with chemotherapy (chemoimmunotherapy) is currently the standard of care for first-line therapy and leads to a cure in approximately 50–60% of patients. A Phase III trial recently reported that adding Polivy, an anti-CD79b antibody-drug conjugate, to rituximab + chemotherapy results in improved progression-free survival. If approved, the Polivy combination will seek to become the new standard of care for first-line patients. 

Rituximab combined with platinum-based chemotherapy followed by consolidation with high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplant is the historical standard treatment for second-line, transplant-eligible patients. In April 2022, Yescarta received FDA approval for patients refractory to first-line chemoimmunotherapy or who relapse within 12 months of first-line chemoimmunotherapy. In March 2022, Breyanzi was approved in Japan for the second-line setting, and is currently under FDA regulatory review with a PDUFA date in June 2022. Datamonitor Healthcare expects Yescarta and Breyanzi to play a major role in the second-line setting, displacing ASCT for first-line refractory patients or those who relapse within 12 months. 

This Datamonitor Healthcare report contains a Disease Analysis module.