Danish biotech firm Genmab and US drugmaker AbbVie said on Monday their combination treatment for newly diagnosed lymphoma patients reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 51 per cent in a late-stage study, Reuters reported.

The study tested epcoritamab in combination with R-CHOP in patients newly diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, the most common form of blood cancer affecting lymph cells. Epcoritamab is an immune-based therapy that helps the body’s T cells attack cancer cells, while R-CHOP is the current standard treatment.

The companies said the trial is the first late-stage study of a bispecific antibody combination to significantly improve progression-free survival, the time patients live without their cancer worsening, in first-line DLBCL. The safety profile was generally consistent with the known profiles of both treatments.

Genmab Chief Executive Jan van de Winkel said options for newly diagnosed patients remain limited, reinforcing the need for additional frontline therapies. The companies will discuss next steps with global regulatory authorities, and Genmab shares rose about 8 per cent in European trading on Tuesday.