Columvi (glofitamab) will be added to the Singapore Ministry of Health’s (MOH) CDL and MAF List. Starting 1 September 2026, this milestone ensures that eligible Singaporeans and Permanent Residents will have 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 DLBCL who are not candidates for an ASCT and who have received at least one prior therapy.

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 2023.5 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 (NHL) and the most common form, causing a type of white blood cell 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.2 International studies show that approximately 75 percent of these relapses occur within a year of completing initial frontline therapy.7 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.

The addition of Columvi, a CD20xCD3 T-cell engaging bispecific antibody, to the MAF list addresses this critical need and provides 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.

In the pivotal phase III STARGLO study, overall survival was 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.

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.”

Dr Ong Shin Yeu, Senior Consultant, Department of Haematology, Singapore General Hospital added, “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.”