Promising results reported for AstraZeneca leukemia drug

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Detailed results from both the Phase II ACE-CL-001 trial and the Phase III ASCEND trial showed promising results for AstraZeneca’s Calquence in treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia, one of the most common types of adult leukemia (CLL).

The trial showed an overall response rate of 97 percent  and a 100 percent overall response rate in subgroups of patients with high-risk disease characteristics. Safety findings showed no new long-term issues. 

In the final analysis of ASCEND, an estimated 82 percent  of patients with relapsed or refractory CLL treated with Calquence remained alive and free from disease progression at 18 months compared with 48 percent of patients with a drug combination.

Richard R. Furman, director of the CLL Research Center, Weill Cornell Medicine said: “These data demonstrate no new safety concerns for acalabrutinib, confirming its ability to safely provide meaningful, long-term clinical benefit for patients with treatment-naive and relapsed or refractory disease. The safety profile of acalabrutinib makes treatment to progression an important and plausible option for patients.”

Results from the Phase II ACE-CL-001 trial informed the development of the Phase III ELEVATE TN trial, which, along with findings from the Phase III ASCEND trial, formed the basis for the US approval  last year of Calquence for the treatment of patients with CLL or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL).

AstraZeneca employs about 1,500 in Delaware.

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