Epcoritamab (Epkinly): Another Option on the Horizon
Follicular Lymphoma is a rare disease. New treatment approvals don't come often — which is why I pay attention when they do.
I am a Stage 4 Follicular Lymphoma patient on my second relapse. Epcoritamab is not my next treatment. But I track every new option that appears, because options are what matter when you are running out of them.
What Is Epcoritamab?
Brand name: Epkinly (US, Japan) / Tepkinly (Europe)
Developed by: AbbVie and Genmab
Type: Bispecific antibody (CD20 × CD3)
Administration: Subcutaneous injection (under the skin)
Like Lunsumio, epcoritamab is a bispecific antibody — it grabs a cancer cell with one hand and a T cell with the other, forcing them together so the T cell destroys the cancer directly.
→ For a full explanation of how bispecific antibodies work, see: [What Is a Bispecific Antibody?] (link coming soon)
The key practical difference from some other treatments: it is given as a subcutaneous injection — a shot under the skin — rather than an intravenous infusion. Outpatient. No hospitalization required.
Who Is It For?
Patients with relapsed or refractory Follicular Lymphoma who have already received two or more lines of treatment.
Approval Status
| Country | Approval | When |
| US FDA | Monotherapy (2+ prior lines) | June 2024 |
| US FDA | + Rituximab & Lenalidomide combination | November 2025 |
| Europe EMA | Combination therapy added | May 2025 |
| Korea MFDS | FL indication — not yet confirmed | — |
Note on Korea: Epcoritamab received Korean MFDS approval for DLBCL (Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma) in June 2024, with insurance coverage beginning April 2026. The Follicular Lymphoma indication has not yet been confirmed in Korea. I will update this post when that changes.
What Do the Numbers Say?
Monotherapy data — EPCORE NHL-1 trial (Lancet Haematology, 2024):
- Overall response rate: 90.9%
- Complete response rate: 73.7%
For context, the standard chemoimmunotherapy benchmark shows an ORR of 56.8% and CR rate of 32%. The difference is significant.
[Lancet Haematology, 2024 — EPCORE NHL-1 primary analysis]
Combination therapy data — EPCORE NHL-2 (epcoritamab + R2):
- Overall response rate: 96%
- Complete response rate: 87–88%
- Estimated 24-month progression-free survival: 76%
[Blood Advances — indirect comparison vs standard of care]
How does it compare to Lunsumio?
Both are CD20 × CD3 bispecific antibodies. In an indirect comparison study, epcoritamab showed numerically higher response rates than mosunetuzumab (ORR 90.9% vs 80%, CR 73.7% vs 60%), though the differences were not statistically significant. Direct head-to-head trial data does not yet exist.
Side Effects to Know
The main side effect to be aware of is cytokine release syndrome (CRS) — the same immune reaction seen with other bispecific antibodies. Symptoms include fever, chills, and fatigue. It is typically managed in an outpatient setting with monitoring during early cycles, and is generally low-grade and controllable.
Where I Am in This
This drug is not my immediate next treatment — Lunsumio is. But the fact that another option exists matters.
Follicular Lymphoma accounts for roughly 5% of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in Korea — around 300 new patients per year. That small patient population means slower drug development, slower approvals, and slower insurance coverage compared to more common lymphoma types.
Every new approval is another door that might open.
I don't know which treatment I will eventually need. But I find it genuinely encouraging that the options are expanding — even if the timing never quite feels fast enough from where I am sitting.
This post is a summary of publicly available information and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult your oncologist for all treatment decisions.
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