Phase 3 iLLUMINATE trial met primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with previously untreated CLL and Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (SLL) compared to chlorambucil plus obinutuzumab as assessed by an Independent Review Committee (IRC)
Full study results may support an IMBRUVICA based, chemotherapy-free combination treatment option for patients
IMBRUVICA is FDA-approved for all lines of CLL/SLL therapy, including patients with difficult-to-treat 17p deletion CLL. Results build on data supporting IMBRUVICA as an effective therapy in CLL/SLL, either alone or potentially in combination with other therapies
NORTH CHICAGO, IL, USA I May 24, 2018 I AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV), a research-based global biopharmaceutical company, today announced that the Phase 3 iLLUMINATE (PCYC-1130) trial met its primary endpoint of improvement in progression-free survival (PFS). The study evaluated IMBRUVICA® (ibrutinib) in combination with GAZYVA® (obinutuzumab) in previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) patients, the most common adult leukemia. Specifically, the study met its primary endpoint for a clinically and statistically significant difference in PFS for patients treated with IMBRUVICA plus obinutuzumab versus those who received chlorambucil plus obinutuzumab, as assessed by an Independent Review Committee (IRC).
IMBRUVICA is a first-in-class Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor jointly developed and commercialized by Pharmacyclics LLC, an AbbVie company, and Janssen Biotech, Inc. IMBRUVICA has been available in the U.S. since November 2013 and is U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved for treatment in six disease indications. IMBRUVICA has the longest follow-up data as a BTK therapy in CLL.1
Pharmacyclics and Janssen are sharing the primary analysis data from the study with regulatory authorities and plan to present the data in a future publication or medical congress. Based on the data and if approved by the FDA, IMBRUVICA plus obinutuzumab could be the first chemotherapy-free CD20 combination in first-line CLL treatment.
“We are optimistic about the topline results from the iLLUMINATE study and the fact that IMBRUVICA plus obinutuzumab demonstrated marked improvement in progression-free survival compared to obinutuzumab plus chlorambucil, a combination which is currently recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines as a Category 1 treatment,”2 said Danelle James, M.D., M.A.S., Head of Clinical Science, Pharmacyclics LLC, an AbbVie company. “Since its introduction nearly five years ago, IMBRUVICA has been regarded as an important treatment option for patients with CLL/SLL. As well, we now have long-term, five-year data in CLL. We are committed to researching the full potential of IMBRUVICA alone and in combination therapy across a range of B-cell blood cancers.”
“We’re pleased to see positive results for the combination of ibrutinib plus obinutuzumab. This chemotherapy-free combination represents a potential new treatment option for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia,” said John Gribben, M.D., leading investigator for the iLLUMINATE study and Professor of Medical Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute, London, United Kingdom. “It’s exciting to see the blood cancer treatment paradigm continue to evolve – each advance moves us one step closer to a better standard of care for these patients.”
CLL is the most common form of leukemia in adults and is a type of cancer that can develop from cells in the bone marrow that later mature into certain white blood cells (called lymphocytes). While these cancer cells start in the bone marrow, they then later spread into the blood. The prevalence of CLL is approximately 115,000 patients in the U.S.3 with approximately 19,000 newly diagnosed patients every year.4 SLL is a slow-growing lymphoma biologically similar to CLL in which too many immature white blood cells cause lymph nodes to become larger than normal.5 CLL/SLL are predominately diseases of the elderly, with a median age of 71 at diagnosis.
About iLLUMINATE
iLLUMINATE (NCT 02264574) is a Pharmacyclics-sponsored, randomized, multi-center, open-label, Phase 3 study of IMBRUVICA in combination with obinutuzumab versus chlorambucil in combination with obinutuzumab in patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL). According to the study protocol, patients enrolled are age 65 years and older or if less than age 65 years must have at least one of the following criteria: Cumulative Illness Rating Score (CIRS) >6 and Creatinine clearance estimated <70 mL/min using Cockcroft-Gault equation. In the study, patients were randomized to receive IMBRUVICA 420 mg continuously in combination with obinutuzumab 1000 mg intravenously over 6 cycles or chlorambucil on Days 1 and 15 of each cycle plus obinutuzumab 1000 mg intravenously over 6 cycles. The primary endpoint is progression-free survival by IRC, with secondary objectives including overall response rate and rate of minimal residual disease (MRD)-negative responses.
About IMBRUVICA
IMBRUVICA (ibrutinib) is a first-in-class, oral, once-daily therapy that mainly works by blocking a protein called Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK). BTK is a key signaling molecule in the B-cell receptor signaling complex that plays an important role in the survival and spread of malignant B cells as well as other serious, debilitating conditions.6 IMBRUVICA blocks signals that tell malignant B cells to multiply and spread uncontrollably.
IMBRUVICA is FDA-approved in six distinct patient populations: chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia (WM), along with previously-treated mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), previously-treated marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) and previously-treated chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD).7
- IMBRUVICA was first approved for adult patients with MCL who have received at least one prior therapy in November 2013.
- Soon after, IMBRUVICA was initially approved in adult CLL patients who have received at least one prior therapy in February 2014. By July 2014, the therapy received approval for adult CLL patients with 17p deletion, and by March 2016, the therapy was approved as a frontline CLL treatment.
- IMBRUVICA was approved for adult patients with WM in January 2015.
- In May 2016, IMBRUVICA was approved in combination with bendamustine and rituximab (BR) for adult patients with previously treated CLL/SLL.
- In January 2017, IMBRUVICA was approved for adult patients with MZL who require systemic therapy and have received at least one prior anti-CD20-based therapy.
- In August 2017, IMBRUVICA was approved for adult patients with cGVHD that failed to respond to one or more lines of systemic therapy.
Accelerated approval was granted for the MCL and MZL indications based on overall response rate. Continued approval for MCL and MZL may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.
IMBRUVICA has been granted four Breakthrough Therapy Designations from the U.S. FDA. This designation is intended to expedite the development and review of a potential new drug for serious or life-threatening diseases.8 IMBRUVICA was one of the first medicines to receive FDA approval via the new Breakthrough Therapy Designation pathway.
IMBRUVICA is being studied alone and in combination with other treatments in several blood and solid tumor cancers and other serious illnesses. IMBRUVICA has one of the most robust clinical oncology development programs for a single molecule in the industry, with more than 130 ongoing clinical trials. There are approximately 30 ongoing company-sponsored trials, 14 of which are in Phase 3, and more than 100 investigator-sponsored trials and external collaborations that are active around the world. To date, 100,000 patients around the world have been treated with IMBRUVICA in clinical practice and clinical trials.
About AbbVie
AbbVie is a global, research-driven biopharmaceutical company committed to developing innovative advanced therapies for some of the world’s most complex and critical conditions. The company’s mission is to use its expertise, dedicated people and unique approach to innovation to markedly improve treatments across four primary therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, virology and neuroscience. In more than 75 countries, AbbVie employees are working every day to advance health solutions for people around the world. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.
1 O’Brien S, et al. Five-year experience with single-agent ibrutinib in patients with previously untreated and relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic leukemia. ASH 2016. Abstract #233.
2 Referenced with permission from the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia/Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma V.4.2018. © National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Accessed March 14, 2018. To view the most recent and complete version of the guideline, go online to NCCN.org. NCCN makes no warranties of any kind whatsoever regarding their content, use or application and disclaims any responsibility for their application or use in any way.
3 IMS Database [Data on File].
4 American Cancer Society. What are the key statistics for chronic lymphocytic leukemia? http://www.cancer.org/cancer/leukemia-chroniclymphocyticcll/detailedguide/leukemia-chronic-lymphocytic-key-statistics. Accessed March 2018.
5 American Cancer Society. Leukemia – chronic lymphocytic. http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003111-pdf.pdf. Accessed March 2018.
6 Genetics Home Reference. Isolated growth hormone deficiency. http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/isolated-growth-hormone-deficiency. Accessed December 2017.
7 IMBRUVICA U.S. Prescribing Information, February 2018
8 U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Fact sheet: breakthrough therapies. https://www.fda.gov/RegulatoryInformation/LawsEnforcedbyFDA/SignificantAmendmentstotheFDCAct/FDASIA/ucm329491.htm. Accessed May 2018,
SOURCE: AbbVie
Post Views: 23
Phase 3 iLLUMINATE trial met primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with previously untreated CLL and Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (SLL) compared to chlorambucil plus obinutuzumab as assessed by an Independent Review Committee (IRC)
Full study results may support an IMBRUVICA based, chemotherapy-free combination treatment option for patients
IMBRUVICA is FDA-approved for all lines of CLL/SLL therapy, including patients with difficult-to-treat 17p deletion CLL. Results build on data supporting IMBRUVICA as an effective therapy in CLL/SLL, either alone or potentially in combination with other therapies
NORTH CHICAGO, IL, USA I May 24, 2018 I AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV), a research-based global biopharmaceutical company, today announced that the Phase 3 iLLUMINATE (PCYC-1130) trial met its primary endpoint of improvement in progression-free survival (PFS). The study evaluated IMBRUVICA® (ibrutinib) in combination with GAZYVA® (obinutuzumab) in previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) patients, the most common adult leukemia. Specifically, the study met its primary endpoint for a clinically and statistically significant difference in PFS for patients treated with IMBRUVICA plus obinutuzumab versus those who received chlorambucil plus obinutuzumab, as assessed by an Independent Review Committee (IRC).
IMBRUVICA is a first-in-class Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor jointly developed and commercialized by Pharmacyclics LLC, an AbbVie company, and Janssen Biotech, Inc. IMBRUVICA has been available in the U.S. since November 2013 and is U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved for treatment in six disease indications. IMBRUVICA has the longest follow-up data as a BTK therapy in CLL.1
Pharmacyclics and Janssen are sharing the primary analysis data from the study with regulatory authorities and plan to present the data in a future publication or medical congress. Based on the data and if approved by the FDA, IMBRUVICA plus obinutuzumab could be the first chemotherapy-free CD20 combination in first-line CLL treatment.
“We are optimistic about the topline results from the iLLUMINATE study and the fact that IMBRUVICA plus obinutuzumab demonstrated marked improvement in progression-free survival compared to obinutuzumab plus chlorambucil, a combination which is currently recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines as a Category 1 treatment,”2 said Danelle James, M.D., M.A.S., Head of Clinical Science, Pharmacyclics LLC, an AbbVie company. “Since its introduction nearly five years ago, IMBRUVICA has been regarded as an important treatment option for patients with CLL/SLL. As well, we now have long-term, five-year data in CLL. We are committed to researching the full potential of IMBRUVICA alone and in combination therapy across a range of B-cell blood cancers.”
“We’re pleased to see positive results for the combination of ibrutinib plus obinutuzumab. This chemotherapy-free combination represents a potential new treatment option for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia,” said John Gribben, M.D., leading investigator for the iLLUMINATE study and Professor of Medical Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute, London, United Kingdom. “It’s exciting to see the blood cancer treatment paradigm continue to evolve – each advance moves us one step closer to a better standard of care for these patients.”
CLL is the most common form of leukemia in adults and is a type of cancer that can develop from cells in the bone marrow that later mature into certain white blood cells (called lymphocytes). While these cancer cells start in the bone marrow, they then later spread into the blood. The prevalence of CLL is approximately 115,000 patients in the U.S.3 with approximately 19,000 newly diagnosed patients every year.4 SLL is a slow-growing lymphoma biologically similar to CLL in which too many immature white blood cells cause lymph nodes to become larger than normal.5 CLL/SLL are predominately diseases of the elderly, with a median age of 71 at diagnosis.
About iLLUMINATE
iLLUMINATE (NCT 02264574) is a Pharmacyclics-sponsored, randomized, multi-center, open-label, Phase 3 study of IMBRUVICA in combination with obinutuzumab versus chlorambucil in combination with obinutuzumab in patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL). According to the study protocol, patients enrolled are age 65 years and older or if less than age 65 years must have at least one of the following criteria: Cumulative Illness Rating Score (CIRS) >6 and Creatinine clearance estimated <70 mL/min using Cockcroft-Gault equation. In the study, patients were randomized to receive IMBRUVICA 420 mg continuously in combination with obinutuzumab 1000 mg intravenously over 6 cycles or chlorambucil on Days 1 and 15 of each cycle plus obinutuzumab 1000 mg intravenously over 6 cycles. The primary endpoint is progression-free survival by IRC, with secondary objectives including overall response rate and rate of minimal residual disease (MRD)-negative responses.
About IMBRUVICA
IMBRUVICA (ibrutinib) is a first-in-class, oral, once-daily therapy that mainly works by blocking a protein called Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK). BTK is a key signaling molecule in the B-cell receptor signaling complex that plays an important role in the survival and spread of malignant B cells as well as other serious, debilitating conditions.6 IMBRUVICA blocks signals that tell malignant B cells to multiply and spread uncontrollably.
IMBRUVICA is FDA-approved in six distinct patient populations: chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia (WM), along with previously-treated mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), previously-treated marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) and previously-treated chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD).7
- IMBRUVICA was first approved for adult patients with MCL who have received at least one prior therapy in November 2013.
- Soon after, IMBRUVICA was initially approved in adult CLL patients who have received at least one prior therapy in February 2014. By July 2014, the therapy received approval for adult CLL patients with 17p deletion, and by March 2016, the therapy was approved as a frontline CLL treatment.
- IMBRUVICA was approved for adult patients with WM in January 2015.
- In May 2016, IMBRUVICA was approved in combination with bendamustine and rituximab (BR) for adult patients with previously treated CLL/SLL.
- In January 2017, IMBRUVICA was approved for adult patients with MZL who require systemic therapy and have received at least one prior anti-CD20-based therapy.
- In August 2017, IMBRUVICA was approved for adult patients with cGVHD that failed to respond to one or more lines of systemic therapy.
Accelerated approval was granted for the MCL and MZL indications based on overall response rate. Continued approval for MCL and MZL may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials.
IMBRUVICA has been granted four Breakthrough Therapy Designations from the U.S. FDA. This designation is intended to expedite the development and review of a potential new drug for serious or life-threatening diseases.8 IMBRUVICA was one of the first medicines to receive FDA approval via the new Breakthrough Therapy Designation pathway.
IMBRUVICA is being studied alone and in combination with other treatments in several blood and solid tumor cancers and other serious illnesses. IMBRUVICA has one of the most robust clinical oncology development programs for a single molecule in the industry, with more than 130 ongoing clinical trials. There are approximately 30 ongoing company-sponsored trials, 14 of which are in Phase 3, and more than 100 investigator-sponsored trials and external collaborations that are active around the world. To date, 100,000 patients around the world have been treated with IMBRUVICA in clinical practice and clinical trials.
About AbbVie
AbbVie is a global, research-driven biopharmaceutical company committed to developing innovative advanced therapies for some of the world’s most complex and critical conditions. The company’s mission is to use its expertise, dedicated people and unique approach to innovation to markedly improve treatments across four primary therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, virology and neuroscience. In more than 75 countries, AbbVie employees are working every day to advance health solutions for people around the world. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.
1 O’Brien S, et al. Five-year experience with single-agent ibrutinib in patients with previously untreated and relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic leukemia. ASH 2016. Abstract #233.
2 Referenced with permission from the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia/Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma V.4.2018. © National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Accessed March 14, 2018. To view the most recent and complete version of the guideline, go online to NCCN.org. NCCN makes no warranties of any kind whatsoever regarding their content, use or application and disclaims any responsibility for their application or use in any way.
3 IMS Database [Data on File].
4 American Cancer Society. What are the key statistics for chronic lymphocytic leukemia? http://www.cancer.org/cancer/leukemia-chroniclymphocyticcll/detailedguide/leukemia-chronic-lymphocytic-key-statistics. Accessed March 2018.
5 American Cancer Society. Leukemia – chronic lymphocytic. http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003111-pdf.pdf. Accessed March 2018.
6 Genetics Home Reference. Isolated growth hormone deficiency. http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/isolated-growth-hormone-deficiency. Accessed December 2017.
7 IMBRUVICA U.S. Prescribing Information, February 2018
8 U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Fact sheet: breakthrough therapies. https://www.fda.gov/RegulatoryInformation/LawsEnforcedbyFDA/SignificantAmendmentstotheFDCAct/FDASIA/ucm329491.htm. Accessed May 2018,
SOURCE: AbbVie
Post Views: 23
