Venetoclax-Obinutuzumab Significantly Improves Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Survival
The combination therapy was linked to a record phase 3 progression-free survival rate among a subpopulation of patients with the rare cancer.
New analysis from the phase 3 CLL14 trial, presented this weekend at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2020 Annual Meeting, show venetoclax plus obinutuzumab may be more effective in eradicating minimal residual disease (MRD) and clonal growth modulation than chlorambucil plus obiutuzumab in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
The findings, presented by a Germany-based team of investigators, also showed that significant portion of patients treated with venetoclax plus obinutuzumab experienced no measurable clonal growth during the trial period—indicating potential for deepest remissions with the combination therapy.
End-of-treatment progression-free survival (PFS) was 93% at 2 years among those administered venetoclax plus obinutuzumab with MRD levels ≤10-5.
The new results could have significant indication for management and combat of CLL, a rare blood and bone marrow cancer with a five-year survival rate of approximately 83%.
In an interview with HCPLive during ASH 2020, CLL114 trial author Othman Al-Sawaf, MD, of the University of Cologne, discussed what the trial findings could implicate for current treatment strategies of CLL—which has never seen such significantly improved PFS in a prior phase 3 study, he said.
The study, “Clonal Dynamics after Venetoclax-Obinutuzumab Therapy: Novel Insights from the Randomized, Phase 3 CLL14 Trial,” was presented at ASH 2020.
