Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Expert said that manufacturing the T cells with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor may allow more patients to get allogeneic stem cell transplant, the current best means of long-term cure.

Obe-cel is an investigational CD19 CAR T-cell therapy currently in clinical trials for relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Study shows 18.4% of patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia treated with lisocabtagene maraleucel achieved a complete response (CR), with median duration of CR not reached at median follow-up of 21.1 months.

Since 2014, 10 immunotherapies have been approved by the FDA, including 6 CAR T-cell therapies and 4 BiTE therapies.

CRISPR technology has also been successful in treating a pediatric patient with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, showing feasibility of its use for cancer immunotherapy.

At 36 months, the overall survival rate of patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia administered brexucabtagene autoleucel was 47.1%, with a median overall survival of 26 months.

Lisocabtagene maraleucel is a CD19-directed CAR T-cell therapy with a 4-1BB costimulatory domain, which enhances the expansion and persistence of the CAR T cells.

Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor zanubrutinib (Brukinsa; BeiGene USA, Inc) approved for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma.

Zahra Mahmoudjafari, PharmD, BCOP, DPLA, opens a discussion surrounding chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Results show possible impact of using Janssen Pharmaceuticals’ ibrutinib in the front-line setting, providing additional data on chronic lymphocytic leukemia therapies.

Ponatinib could be the first targeted treatment approved in the United States for Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Phase 1 clinical trial data show the drug to be active with evidence of clinically meaningful responses and a manageable safety profile.

Although patients with Richter syndrome often experience poor outcomes, there are many new treatment strategies that have demonstrated a durable response.

Zanubrutinib expressed better cardiac safety measures, higher progression-free survival, and lower discontinuation rates in the ALPINE trial compared with compared ibrutinib.

Investigators believe the findings can refine predictions, after independent evaluation, by identifying different modes of genetic alteration.

In the inpatient acute care setting, oncology pharmacists maximize return on investments of oncology products, produce optimal outcomes, and ensure that quality of care is consistent and safe.

Opportunities for further optimization of CML management remain.

Zanubrutinib (Brukinsa) is a small molecule Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor under evaluation as a monotherapy and in combination with other treatments for various B-cell malignancies.

Omidubicel is a stem cell-based product that utilizes nicotinamide to inhibit differentiation and to increase the migration, bone marrow homing, and engraftment efficiency of hematopoietic progenitor cells.

Currently available agents may reduce the need for stem cell transplantation in patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia.

Relapses remain a challenge in treating patients with leukemia.

The functional and physical well-being and other scores from the survey are more favorable for those who were treated with the therapy, investigators say.

Expert discusses whether epigenetic programs regulate human T cell exhaustion and whether epigenetic-based strategies can be used to enhance T cell-based therapies.

This study highlights one benefit of the integrated health system specialty pharmacy model for patients who are prescribed acalabrutinib.

NVG-111 is a humanized, tandem single-chain variable fragment ROR1 x CD3 BiTE being evaluated in relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia and mantle cell lymphoma.

Both ibrutinib (Imbruvica) and venetoclax (Venclexta) carry an approved indication for use in chronic lymphocytic leukemia but do not often lead to complete remission, and therapy routinely continues indefinitely or until disease progression.

The nature of CLL being a long-term, incurable disease makes its treatment a challenge as it is more focused toward improving patient’s quality of life.

A patient with CLL relies on his pharmacy team for support.

Five-year progression-free survival in the CLL14 trial is approximately 63% in the targeted treatment arm, according to new data.

Overall, the investigators observed that the CR, undetectable minimal residual disease rates, progression free survival, and overall survival amomg the patients enrolled in the trial were favorable.