Dr. Wierda Discusses the Need for Newer Therapies in CLL

William G. Wierda, MD, PhD, medical director of the Leukemia Center at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the need for newer therapies in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Although ibrutinib (Imbruvica) and venetoclax (Venclexta) are very effective, some patients still develop resistance.

There is a push to identify drugs that aren’t chemotherapy, such as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. The durable responses that have been seen with CAR T-cell therapy in acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) suggest that this therapy may provide a similar benefit in CLL, says Wierda.