AstraZeneca reported that a late-stage trial of Calquence combined with obinutuzumab or used alone significantly improved progression-free survival when compared to standard treatment, in patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
At a median follow-up of 28.3 months, Calquence and obinutuzumab, and Calquence alone reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 90 percent and 80 percent, respectively, vs. the standard treatment of chlorambucil plus obinutuzumab.
José Baselga, executive vice president, Oncology R&D said: “On the heels of approvals in the US, Australia, and Canada, these full results provide further evidence that Calquence, as a new treatment option for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia demonstrates remarkable efficacy.”
As part of an extensive clinical development program, AstraZeneca and Acerta Pharma are currently evaluating Calquence in 23 company-sponsored clinical trials.
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is one of the most common types of leukemia in adults, with an estimated 105,000 new cases globally in 2016 and 20,720 new cases in the US in 2019, and the number of people living with CLL is expected to grow with improved treatment as patients live longer with the disease.
In CLL, too many blood stem cells in the bone marrow become abnormal lymphocytes and these abnormal cells have difficulty fighting infections. As the number of abnormal cells grows there is less room for healthy white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. This could result in anemia, infection and bleeding. B-cell receptor signaling through BTK is one of the essential growth pathways for CLL.
AstraZeneca, which has a U.S. and Canada headquarters in north Wilmington, has a number of cancer drugs in its development pipeline. Cancer is one of the focus area of the company based in the United Kingdom.
