08:45 AM EDT, 05/30/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Merck ( MRK ) said Friday that a 1.75 milligram/kilogram dose of its investigational drug zilovertamab vedotin combined with rituximab and gemcitabine-oxaliplatin achieved a 56.3% objective response rate in patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

The results came from the dose confirmation portion, or phase 2 portion, of its phase 2/3 study of the combination therapy, with eight of 16 patients showing complete response and one achieving a partial response, the company said.

The company also said it has recently initiated a randomized, open-label phase 2 clinical trial for zilovertamab vedotin plus rituximab and cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and prednisone, or R-CHP, versus polatuzumab vedotin with R-CHP in a study that is estimated to ultimately enroll 594 patients, the company said.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is the most common form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, with a five-year relative survival rate of 60% to 70%.