CHICAGO--AbbVie's ($ABBV) experimental leukemia drug ABT-199 is continuing to wow analysts with some stellar early-stage data. At the interim point of a Phase Ib study, ABT-199/GDC-0199 combined with rituximab registered an 84% overall response rate among patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Nine of 25 evaluable patients in the study achieved either a complete response or complete response with incomplete blood count recovery, while close to half--12 patients--achieved a partial response. Among the complete responders, 75% (6 patients) were "identified as minimal residual disease negative, indicating the detection of zero leukemic cells."
Like others in the cancer field, AbbVie is using these early tests to quickly nail down optimum dose levels for registration studies that can be used to pitch an approval. And there's strong potential here to broaden the scope of the R&D program to add more patient groups.
AbbVie's combo, a key part of its effort to diversify its product base at a time Humira accounts for the lion's share of its revenue, inhibit B-cell lymphoma 2, which blunts apoptosis, or cell death. Blocking BCL-2 assists leukemia cells in a natural self-destruct cycle, which can protect patients.
"Patients with CLL and various subtypes of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma need additional options to help manage these difficult-to-treat cancers," said Dana-Farber's Matthew Davids in a statement. "These results are exciting because they suggest ABT-199/GDC-0199 warrants further evaluation across several cancer patient groups."
- here's the release