Subsidised Access to Columvi (Glofitamab) Now Available for Relapsed/Refractory DLBCL Patients in Singapore
核心洞察
Columvi (glofitamab) will be added to Singapore's Cancer Drug List and Medication Assistance Fund on 1 September 2026 for eligible relapsed or refractory DLBCL patients.
Eligible Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents will receive subsidies of up to 75% and 20%, respectively, at public healthcare institutions.
In the phase III STARGLO study, glofitamab plus GemOx doubled overall survival versus rituximab plus GemOx (25.5 vs 12.9 months).
Columvi (glofitamab) will be added to the Singapore Ministry of Health's (MOH) Cancer Drug List (CDL) and Medication Assistance Fund (MAF) List starting 1 September 2026, ensuring that eligible Singaporeans and Permanent Residents gain subsidised access to the medication in public healthcare institutions. Used in combination with gemcitabine and oxaliplatin (GemOx), the treatment is indicated for patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (搜索) (DLBCL) who are not candidates for an autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) and who have received at least one prior therapy.
Under the MAF, eligible Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents will receive subsidies of up to 75% and 20% respectively, at public healthcare institutions. This inclusion expands treatment options for patients whose cancer has returned, offering a novel T-cell-engaging bispecific antibody as a new alternative alongside existing therapies such as ASCT, CAR-T cell therapy and chemotherapy.
Disease Burden and Unmet Need
Lymphoma ranks as the fourth most common cancer among men and the fifth most common among women in Singapore, with more than 5,000 new cases diagnosed between 2019 and 2023. Within this group, DLBCL is the most prevalent subtype, accounting for roughly 30 percent of all local lymphoma diagnoses. It is an aggressive type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (搜索) (NHL) and the most common form, causing a type of white blood cells to multiply uncontrollably.
While first-line therapies achieve complete remission for many patients, an estimated 30 to 40 percent will either not respond to initial treatments or will eventually experience a relapse. International studies show that approximately 75 percent of these relapses occur within a year of completing initial frontline therapy. Standard second-line treatment options include ASCT or CAR-T cell therapy, but not all patients are eligible for these options due to clinical factors, age, comorbidities, turnaround time or personal choice. This underscores an urgent need for a broader range of novel and efficacious treatment options.
Clinical Evidence from the STARGLO Study
In the pivotal phase III STARGLO study, overall survival remained twice as long for people treated with Columvi in combination with GemOx versus rituximab plus GemOx (25.5 months versus 12.9 months). The Columvi combination is delivered over a fixed treatment period of 12 cycles or 8.5 months, and is currently approved in more than 50 countries and recommended in multiple international treatment guidelines.
The STARGLO study (GO41944; NCT04408638) is a phase III, multicentre, open-label, randomised study evaluating the efficacy and safety of glofitamab in combination with GemOx versus rituximab in combination with GemOx in patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL who have received at least one prior line of therapy and who are not candidates for ASCT, or who have received two or more prior lines of therapy. Preclinical research indicated an increased antitumour effect when combining Columvi with GemOx over GemOx alone, prompting initiation of the study. Outcome measures include overall survival (primary endpoint), progression-free survival, complete response rate, objective response rate, duration of objective response (secondary endpoints), and safety and tolerability.
Dr Ong Shin Yeu, Senior Consultant, Department of Haematology, Singapore General Hospital, said: "Given the aggressive nature of relapsed or refractory DLBCL, having a broader toolkit to treat and manage the disease is indispensable. The availability of this new, off-the-shelf option alongside existing therapies empowers us to offer more choices to eligible patients and tailor treatment to their individual circumstances and preferences. The data is encouraging in the trial, with 38 per cent of patients remaining in remission at 30 months, compared to 15 per cent in the comparator arm, pointing to durable outcomes and long-term disease control in a subset of patients. The approval of government subsidies for this medication helps patients access treatment without delay."
Mechanism of Action
Columvi is a CD20xCD3 T-cell-engaging bispecific antibody designed to target CD3 (搜索) on the surface of T cells and CD20 (搜索) on the surface of B cells, using a novel 2:1 structural format. The antibody is engineered to have one region that binds to CD3, a protein on T cells, and two regions that bind to CD20, a protein on B cells, which can be healthy or malignant. This dual-targeting brings the T cell in close proximity to the B cell, activating the release of cancer cell-killing proteins from the T cell.
The addition of Columvi to the MAF list addresses a critical need by providing patients with improved access to a new, off-the-shelf biologic medicine that can be administered immediately in any setting, without crucial delays in starting treatment.
Company Perspective
Maik Rutschmann, General Manager, Roche Pharmaceuticals Singapore, said: "Ensuring that innovative science reaches the patients who need it most is a key priority for us. The inclusion of Columvi on the CDL and MAF provides a vital new option to patients navigating a relapse, demonstrating the value of this innovation and our commitment to making cancer care more accessible in Singapore."
Columvi is part of Roche's CD20xCD3 T-cell-engaging bispecific antibody clinical development programme, which also includes Lunsumio (mosunetuzumab). Roche is investigating Columvi as a monotherapy and in combination with other medicines for the treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (搜索) and mantle cell lymphoma.