Benzinga | Dec 14, 2021 06:39AM EST

Gilead's CAR-T Yescarta Shows 78% Complete Response Rate In First-Line Lymphoma Patients

Kite Pharma, a Gilead Science Inc company (NASDAQ:GILD), churned out more data for its CAR-T Yescarta in first-line lymphoma patients.

* The Company shared the data at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition.

* In updated results from the Phase 2 ZUMA-12 study, Yescarta posted a 78% complete response rate among 37 patients with high-risk large B cell lymphoma at a median follow-up of 15.9 months.

* All median survival checkpoints hadn't been reached at a median of 15.9 months after infusion. Still, Kite floated 12-month outcomes estimates of 81% for durable responders, 73% for event-free survival, 75% for progression-free survival, and 91% for patients alive.

* On the safety front, grade 3 or higher cytokine release syndrome occurred in 8% of patients, and 23% experienced a Grade 3 or higher neurological event.

* There were no deaths tied to treatment with Yescarta, although one patient died from COVID-19.

* All but one CRS and neurological events were resolved through treatment by the data cutoff.

* Related Link: Gilead's Kite Unveils More Data On Yescarta In Second-Line Lymphoma Patients.

* Price Action: GILD shares closed at $70.61 on Monday.

* Check out our coverage of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting 2021 here.