Dr. Eradat Discusses Data With Acalabrutinib in CLL

Herbert A. Eradat, MD, associate professor, University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center, discusses data with acalabrutinib (Calquence) in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

On August 14 2019, the FDA granted a breakthrough therapy designation to acalabrutinib for the treatment of patients with CLL. Acalabrutinib is a second-generation BTK inhibitor that is being evaluated in several ongoing clinical trials, says Eradat. The initial trials demonstrated promising activity with the agent, comparable to what has been seen with the first-generation inhibitor, ibrutinib (Imbruvica).

If the agent receives regulatory approval, it could become an alternative agent for patients, particularly for those who cannot tolerate ibrutinib, adds Eradat. These patients could potentially switch to acalabrutinib and have a continued response without the adverse events seen with ibrutinib. Notably, data that have been reported in the relapsed setting show similar efficacy to ibrutinib.