Shares of Epizyme (EPZM) are up 26.75% today after the company reported positive phase 1 results in patients with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. The company used its oral drug, known as tazemetostat - also EPZ-6438 - to treat patients with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma as a monotherapy treatment which means that no other drug needed to be combined together with tazemetostat for positive efficacy results.

In addition to tazemetostat performing well in patients with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, the drug was also able to show good response rates in solid tumors.

These patients in the stud had Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma with an EZH2 tumor mutation. The drug tazemetostat was produced to specifically target the EZH2 protein in this cancer. The efficacy seen in the trial was great because about 9 out of the 15 patients achieved an objective response to the drug treatment. 

These results were presented by Vincent Ribrag, M.D. at the 13th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma is a cancer that originates in the lymphatic system. From the lymphatic system it can spread to other parts of the body causing more damage. In addition tumors can form from the white blood cells that turn into cancerous cells. Because this cancer starts in the lymphatic system it affects the patient's immune system.