AbbVie and Genmab reported Phase 3 results showing their T-cell engager Epkinly (epcoritamab) plus standard chemotherapy cut the risk of disease progression or death by nearly half versus chemo alone in newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The companies positioned the dataset as a potential first-line approval path, setting up a direct competitive challenge to Roche’s Polivy. In the trial, Epkinly met the primary endpoint and delivered a 51% relative risk reduction in the intermediate- or high-risk population enrolled at 900 patients. Genmab also highlighted Epkinly’s current commercial traction, citing $312 million in global net sales in the first half of the year. The readout matters for patient access and treatment sequencing because bispecifics are increasingly moving earlier in hematologic oncology. It also renews scrutiny on how combination regimens balance efficacy against immune-related tolerability and monitoring needs as products scale beyond specialized centers.