Rovalpituzumab tesirine
Rovalpituzumab tesirine (Rova-T) was the first drug against DLL3 in small-cell lung cancer. AbbVie bought it for $5.8B and abandoned it after two failed phase 3 trials. The target later worked with a different weapon.
A DLL3-directed ADC with a PBD dimer payload (DAR ~2). Phase 2 TRINITY showed modest response rates with high toxicity (effusions, oedema, photosensitivity). Phase 3 TAHOE (second line vs topotecan) was stopped for shorter survival in the Rova-T arm; MERU (first-line maintenance) failed. AbbVie ended development in 2019 after the 2016 Stemcentrx acquisition. Tarlatamab, a DLL3×CD3 T-cell engager, later improved survival in the same setting (DeLLphi-304, 2025).
Lesson: target validation and modality are separable. DLL3 was the right address; a PBD payload with a narrow window in a frail population was the wrong weapon.
Trials
topRecruiting now (live from ClinicalTrials.gov)
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Latest papers
topQuery for this drug: (TITLE:"Rovalpituzumab tesirine" OR ABSTRACT:"Rovalpituzumab tesirine" OR TITLE:"Rova-T" OR ABSTRACT:"Rova-T" OR TITLE:"SC16LD6.5" OR ABSTRACT:"SC16LD6.5") AND (cancer OR tumor OR tumour OR oncology OR carcinoma OR lymphoma OR leukemia OR leukaemia OR myeloma OR sarcoma OR melanoma OR glioma). Results are unfiltered search hits about Rovalpituzumab tesirine, not a curated reading list.