ORLANDO – Venetoclax monotherapy achieved an overall response rate of 79% in a high-risk population of 107 patients with relapsed or refractory del(17p) chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Dr. Stephan Stilgenbauer reported in a late-breaking abstract at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology.
Of the 85 responders, the response was maintained at 1 year in 85%. Of the 45 patients assessed for minimal residual disease in the blood, 18 achieved MRD negativity. Ten of these 18 patients also had bone marrow assessments and six were MRD negative.
Dr. Stilgenbauer of the University of Ulm (Germany), discussed the implications of the phase II study findings in our exclusive interview at ASH, as well as phase III study plans and the use of venetoclax in combination therapies.
He receives honoraria or research funding from a wide range of companies, including AbbVie and Genentech, the companies collaborating on the development of venetoclax.
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