Rovalpituzumab tesirine is a novel antibody–drug conjugate that targets the delta-like 3 (DLL3) protein, a surface protein on neoplastic cells, and delivers a cytotoxic payload upon ingestion.

Pre-clinical and clinical experience has shown some clinical efficacy in reducing disease burden, especially in patients who have experienced multiple relapses.

While reported as having a manageable side effect profile, the agent has shown significant adverse events in both phase I and phase II studies, and appears to have limited tolerability.

The agent is a step forward in the development of novel therapies, and ongoing clinical trial data will be instrumental in determining how this agent affects clinical practice.