ASH 2014: Results of ABT-199 (venetoclax) with Rituximab in CLL

Professor Andrew Roberts from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institutes of Medical Research in Melbourne, Australia reported from the 2014 ASH annual meeting on data from a clinical trial with ABT-199 (venetoclax) for treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), specifically response rates, adverse events, relapses, as well as in combination with rituximab.

PREFACE:

Hematology in general and CLL specifically are full of jargon and acronyms that can be both overwhelming and daunting. With time and experience, you’ll become familiar with the terminology and acronyms. We will try to explain each medical term the first time it appears in an article, but we will use the true terminology so that you gain comfort and familiarity with the medical terms that you will see in your lab reports and in medical articles. We will also provide a glossary of terms and acronyms for your reference.

Take Away Points:

• Some of the complete responses to single agent ABT-199 (venetoclax) were MRD negative.
• As with other novel agents, Richter’s Transformation is a common method of relapse.
• The combination of ABT-199 (venetoclax) and rituximab lead to 88% total responses, 31% were complete response rates of which half were MRD negative.
• Response rates are similar for patients with deletion 17p, however they have a higher risk of Richter’s Transformation and early relapse.
• Adverse events include low neutrophil counts, but no significant increase risk of infections.

ASH 2014:

In the second and final part of our interview, Professor Roberts provides more of the details of the responses, relapses and adverse events with ABT-199 (venetoclax). He then goes on to discuss the new data from the combination with rituximab.

For the ASH 2014 abstract of the trial of the combination of ABT-199 with rituximab please take a look here.

For the trial abstract of ABT-199 (venetoclax) with Bendamustine/Rituximab in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory or Previously Untreated Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, please click here.

For the very preliminary data from a trial studying the combination of ABT-199 (venetoclax) with obinutuzumab in patients with relapsed/refractory or previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia, please check out this abstract.

Here is the interview with Prof. Roberts:

Dr. Brian Koffman 5/3/15

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]