ROR1 shines as the next promising ADC target

The latest data on zilovertamab vedotin from Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) suggest the pharma may have found the next antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) with the right combination of payload, linker and target to achieve clinical success.

At the American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting, Merck reported that a 1.75 mg/kg dose of the ROR1-targeting ADC — the most advanced in its class — plus R-CHP chemotherapy led to a 100% complete response rate in 15 previously untreated patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in the Phase II waveLINE-007 study. An additional 14 patients were treated at 2.0 mg/kg and six at 2.25 mg/kg, where the complete response rates were 93.3% and 97.2%, respectively. The findings promise a step up from the 60-70% complete response rate typically seen with first-line standard of care...