Dr. Rogers on Benefits of Ibrutinib Combination in CLL

Kerry Rogers, MD, assistant professor, Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the benefits of ibrutinib (Imbruvica) in combination with venetoclax (Venclexta) and obinutuzumab (Gazyva) for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

This combination was investigated in a phase II treatment-naïve cohort in a phase Ib/II study in patients with CLL. The trial specifies treatment to be given for 14 months since both ibrutinib and venetoclax get good responses. However, responses are not particularly deep, since there are still patients who have detectable CLL, explains Rogers.

However, the label for ibrutinib and venetoclax says to take them indefinitely until disease progression or intolerance. Something important about this strategy is you have good control of the CLL, high response rates, and elimination of any detectable CLL, but you are only doing 14 months of treatment, Rogers says. Therefore, patients are not committed to the long-term side effects of treating them indefinitely. Additionally, the financial impact of continuing treatment indefinitely makes this strategy an improvement, says Rogers.