Data shows 5-year benefit of venetoclax-rituximab for relapsed/refractory CLL

New data from the phase 3 MURANO trials demonstrated sustained progression-free survival with venetoclax-rituximab based combinations in patients with relapsed or refractorychronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), according to a presentation at the virtual American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition.

Data from the 5-year pivotal trial showed that venetoclax-rituximab reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 81% and 5-year overall survival at the time of analysis was 82.1% in patients treated with venetoclax-rituximab compared with 62.2% in patients treated with bendamustine-rituximab.

Of the 130 patients treated with venetoclax-rituximab who completed 2 years of treatment without progressive disease, 83 (63.8%) had undetectable minimal residual disease (uMRD) levels at the end of treatment; uMRD was associated with improved progression-free survival in a subgroup analysis.

“These results reinforce the long-term value of fixed-duration, chemotherapy-free Venclexta/Venclyxto-based combinations in CLL, potentially offering patients a significant period of time without treatment following initial therapy,” said Levi Garraway, MD, PhD, Roche’s Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development in a company press release. “These data also reflect our ongoing commitment to accelerating clinical advancements for patients by exploring the novel endpoint minimal residual disease as a potential predictor of patient outcomes.”

Reference
Kater AP, et al. Five-year Analysis of MURANO Study Demonstrates Enduring Undetectable Minimal Residual Disease in a Subset of Relapsed/Refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Patients Following Fixed-Duration Venetoclax-Rituximab Therapy. Presented at: ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition (virtual meeting). Abstract 125.