Roche Canada Announces Columvi® (glofitamab for injection) is Publicly Reimbursed in 7 Provinces, Including Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland

• Columvi is now publicly covered in 7 provinces, which equates to approximately 74% of the total Canadian population, and is the first and only fixed treatment duration bispecific antibody authorized in Canada to treat diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL)^1,2,3
• Columvi offers an alternative option for patients with this aggressive type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, who have received 2 or more lines of systemic therapies and where options may be limited.

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Oct. 9, 2024 /CNW/ - Hoffmann-La Roche Limited (Roche Canada) is pleased to announce today that Columvi^® (glofitamab for injection) is now publicly funded in 7 provinces, including Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. The addition of Columvi to the provincial formularies for these provinces means that about 74% of the Canadian population now has access to Columvi through public coverage should they need it. Roche Canada will be continuing to work with the other provincial and territorial jurisdictions to make Columvi available as soon as possible through all public drug plans.

Columvi offers an additional treatment option for patients in Canada with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), an aggressive type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).⁴ While DLBCL is generally responsive to treatment in the frontline, as many as 40% of people will relapse or have refractory disease.⁵ Columvi provides a new option for patients after several lines of therapy, where managing the disease can become complex and options may be limited.⁵ In addition, Columvi is the first bispecific antibody treatment given for a fixed duration and offers an alternative for patients who are ineligible to receive or cannot receive CAR-T therapy. 

"We were pleased to see that this therapy was added to these provincial public formularies for patients waiting for additional options in this line of therapy," said Antonella Rizza, CEO, Lymphoma Canada. "DLBCL is an aggressive lymphoma that is the most commonly diagnosed subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. We are thrilled that this essential treatment is now funded, allowing patients to access the care they need."

Columvi received the first marketing authorization globally in Canada on March 24, 2023 from Health Canada. From that point, Columvi received positive recommendations for reimbursement by Canada's Drug Agency (CDA-AMC) and the Institut national d'excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS) on February 21, 2024⁶ and March 5, 2024,⁷ respectively. Roche Canada and the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance then successfully completed price negotiations for Columvi on July 22, 2024. Roche is proud to have worked closely with key organizations in our Canadian health care systems to move Columvi from regulatory approval through to public access, and this work continues with the outstanding provinces and territories.

The introduction of Columvi in Canada is one way Roche is acting on its commitment to develop innovative therapies for those affected by malignant blood diseases, including lymphoma. Today, we are investing more than ever in our effort to bring additional treatment options to address the unique patient needs across all stages of lymphoma.

About Columvi (glofitamab for injection) ⁸

Columvi is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) not otherwise specified, DLBCL arising from follicular lymphoma (trFL), or primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL), who have received two or more lines of systemic therapy and are ineligible to receive or cannot receive CAR-T cell therapy or have previously received CAR-T cell therapy. COLUMVI comes as a concentrate for solution for infusion, with each vial containing either 2.5 mg (in 2.5 mL) or 10 mg (in 10 mL) of COLUMVI. Each mL contains 1 mg of COLUMVI.

About Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL)

Lymphoma is the name for a group of blood cancers that develop in the lymphatic system and occur in two main types: Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).⁹ In particular, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is an aggressive (fast-growing) blood cancer and the most common form of NHL.¹⁰

About Roche Canada

At Roche Canada, patients and science are at the heart of everything we do. Our passion for science and our commitment to relentlessly pursuing the impossible for patients have made us one of the world's leading pharmaceutical, in-vitro diagnostics, and diabetes care management companies.

With our combined strength in diagnostics and pharmaceuticals, we're driving healthcare forward, while ensuring we deliver meaningful benefits for patients and sustainable healthcare systems. We are committed to creating a world where we all have more time with the people we love.

And we're adding our expertise in new areas, such as artificial intelligence, real world data collection and analysis and collaborating with many different sectors and industries.

Having the courage to reinvent ourselves and question the status quo is what patients and healthcare systems expect from Roche - and our commitment is as strong today as it was on the first day of our Canadian journey in 1931. Today, Roche Canada employs nearly 2,000 people at its offices in Mississauga, Ontario, in Laval, Quebec, and across the country from coast to coast to coast.

For more information, please visit www.RocheCanada.com or follow Roche Canada on LinkedIn, or on X / Twitter @RocheCanada.

References

^[1]	BREYANZI Product Monograph, May 6, 2022.
^[2]	MINJUVI Product Monograph, August 19, 2021.
^[3]	POLIVY Product Monograph, January 20, 2023.
^[4]	Canadian Cancer Society. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Available at: https://cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-types/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/treatment/treatment-by-type/diffuse-large-b-cell-lymphoma. Accessed on September 30, 2024.
^[5]	Sehn LH, Gascoyne RD. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: optimizing outcome in the context of clinical and biologic heterogeneity. Blood. 2015;125(1):22-32.
^[6]	CDA Reimbursement Recommendation, Glofitamab (Columvi), February 2024. Available at: https://www.cda-amc.ca/glofitamab. Accessed on September 30, 2024.
^[7]	INESSS Reimbursement Recommendation, Columvi. March 5, 2024. Available at: https://www.inesss.qc.ca/thematiques/medicaments/medicaments-evaluation-aux-fins-dinscription/extrait-davis-au-ministre/columvi-6790.html. Accessed on September 30, 2024.
^[8]	COLUMVI Product Monograph, March 24, 2023.
^[9]	Canadian Cancer Society. Hodgkin lymphoma statistics. Available at https://cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-types/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/statistics. Accessed on February 26, 2024.
^[10]	Lymphoma Canada. DLBCL - Diffuse Large B cell Lymphoma. Available at https://www.lymphoma.ca/resources/healthcare-professionals/dlbcl-diffuse-large-b-cell-lymphoma/. Accessed on February 26, 2024.

SOURCE Hoffmann-La Roche Limited (Roche Canada)

Media Contact: Amy Haddlesey, Roche Canada, 647-283-3406, [email protected]