BOSTON & SHANGHAI & LAUSANNE, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Overland ADCT BioPharma, a joint venture created by Overland Pharmaceuticals (“Overland”) and ADC Therapeutics SA (NYSE: ADCT), today announced the first patient has been dosed in China with ZYNLONTA® in combination with rituximab compared to standard immunochemotherapy in the LOTIS-5 confirmatory Phase 3 global clinical trial in second-line or later, transplant ineligible patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

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In April 2021, ZYNLONTA was granted accelerated approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the first and only CD19-targeted antibody drug conjugate (ADC) as a single-agent treatment for adult patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL after two or more lines of systemic therapy. The joint venture has now joined the LOTIS-5 global confirmatory Phase 3 clinical trial of ZYNLONTA, which is intended to support a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for ZYNLONTA in the U.S. and China in second-line, transplant-ineligible patients.

“Dosing the first patient in this Phase 3 trial is a significant achievement for Overland ADCT BioPharma and for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in China,” said Eric Koo, Chief Executive Officer of Overland ADCT BioPharma. “This is the second study we have initiated with ZYNLONTA, demonstrating our commitment to DLBCL patients who want and need new treatment options.”

“More than half of the patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL in China are not eligible for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and thus do not have an effective therapeutic option,” said the principal investigator of the Phase 3 trial, Professor Qiu Lugui, Director of Lymphoma Diagnosis at the Treatment Center of Hematology Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. “This trial is a significant advancement in the treatment of r/r DLBCL in China. We look forward to bringing ZYNLONTA to all patients who can benefit from it.”

ZYNLONTA, Overland ADCT BioPharma’s lead product candidate, is an ADC composed of a humanized monoclonal antibody directed against human CD19 and conjugated to a pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) dimer cytotoxin. In clinical trials, ZYNLONTA has demonstrated significant single-agent clinical activity across a broad population of patients with r/r DLBCL, mantle cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma.

“We are thrilled to see how quickly our colleagues at Overland ADCT BioPharma are advancing clinical trials with ZYNLONTA,” said Ameet Mallik, Chief Executive Officer of ADC Therapeutics. “Our goal is to ensure we maximize the potential of ZYNLONTA to treat patients with lymphoma around the world.”

About ZYNLONTA® (loncastuximab tesirine-lpyl)

ZYNLONTA® is a CD19-directed antibody drug conjugate (ADC). Once bound to a CD19-expressing cell, ZYNLONTA is internalized by the cell, where enzymes release a pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) payload. The potent payload binds to DNA minor groove with little distortion, remaining less visible to DNA repair mechanisms. This ultimately results in cell cycle arrest and tumor cell death.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved ZYNLONTA (loncastuximab tesirine-lpyl) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory (r/r) large B-cell lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) not otherwise specified (NOS), DLBCL arising from low-grade lymphoma and also high-grade B-cell lymphoma. The trial included a broad spectrum of heavily pre-treated patients (median three prior lines of therapy) with difficult-to-treat disease, including patients who did not respond to first-line therapy, patients refractory to all prior lines of therapy, patients with double/triple hit genetics and patients who had stem cell transplant and CAR-T therapy prior to their treatment with ZYNLONTA. This indication is approved by the FDA under accelerated approval based on overall response rate and continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial.

ZYNLONTA is also being evaluated as a therapeutic option in combination studies in other B-cell malignancies and earlier lines of therapy.

About Overland ADCT BioPharma

Overland ADCT BioPharma, a joint venture created by Overland Pharmaceuticals and ADC Therapeutics, is developing four of ADC Therapeutics’ antibody drug conjugate (ADC) product candidates for difficult-to-treat hematologic and solid tumors – loncastuximab tesirine (Lonca), ADCT-601, ADCT-602 and ADCT-901 – in greater China and Singapore.

About ADC Therapeutics

ADC Therapeutics (NYSE: ADCT) is a commercial-stage biotechnology company improving the lives of those affected by cancer with its next-generation, targeted antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). The Company is advancing its proprietary PBD-based ADC technology to transform the treatment paradigm for patients with hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.

ADC Therapeutics is based in Lausanne (Biopôle), Switzerland and has operations in London, the San Francisco Bay Area and New Jersey. For more information, please visit and follow the Company on and

ZYNLONTA® is a registered trademark of ADC Therapeutics SA.

About Overland Pharmaceuticals

Overland Pharmaceuticals is building a fully integrated biopharma company with a mission to bring innovative medicines to underserved patients in Asia and around the world. By leveraging our resources, global network, and local expertise across the biopharma ecosystem in Asia, Overland is establishing a portfolio of differentiated therapeutic candidates in a few carefully selected therapeutic areas. Through formative partnerships, Overland will move forward the development and commercialization of the most promising advances in medicine.

ADC Therapeutics Forward-Looking Statements

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