Dr. Furman on Acalabrutinib Monotherapy in CLL

Richard R. Furman, MD, professor of medicine, Morton Coleman, MD Distinguished Professor of Medicine, director, CLL Research Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, and attending physician, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, discusses acalabrutinib (Calquence) monotherapy in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

In November 2019, acalabrutinib was approved for the treatment of adults with CLL or small lymphocytic leukemia based on data from the phase III ELEVATE-TN and ASCEND trials.

The mechanism of action of acalabrutinib is similar to that of ibrutinib (Imbruvica), explains Furman. While acalabrutinib appears to be better tolerated than ibrutinib, patients cannot receive a proton-pump inhibitor while on acalabrutinib, says Furman.

At the 2019 ASH Annual Meeting, 42-month follow-up from a phase I/II study (NCT02029443) confirmed the efficacy and tolerability of acalabrutinib monotherapy in patients with relapsed/refractory disease. The overall response rate was 94% with acalabrutinib monotherapy. Additionally, the median duration of response, progression-free survival, and event-free survival were not reached. As such, the agent should be utilized in the clinic, concludes Furman.