- New five-year, follow-up analysis from the Phase 3 MURANO trial shows median progression-free survival (PFS) of 53.6 months in previously treated CLL patients taking VENCLEXTA/VENCLYXTO in combination with rituximab compared to 17.0 months in patients taking bendamustine plus rituximab (BR) after three years or more off treatment[1]

- Two analyses of the Phase 3 CLL14 study evaluated minimal residual disease (MRD) measurements for previously untreated CLL patients taking VENCLEXTA/VENCLYXTO in combination with obinutuzumab[2],[3]

- Four-year follow-up analysis from the CLL14 study shows an overall survival (OS) rate of 85.3% with the VENCLEXTA/VENCLYXTO and obinutuzumab combination versus 83.1% with chlorambucil and obinutuzumab combination[3]

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., Dec. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) today announced new, updated results from the Phase 3 MURANO and CLL14 clinical trials evaluating VENCLEXTA®/VENCLYXTO® (venetoclax) fixed duration treatment combinations at the virtual 62nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition (abstracts 125, 127, and 1310, respectively). These findings add to the growing body of data supporting the use of VENCLEXTA/VENCLYXTO in first-line or previously treated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients.

"MURANO and CLL14 provide a look at the benefits of fixed duration VENCLEXTA combinations in helping many patients to achieve sustained progression-free survival," said John Hayslip, M.D., M.S.C.R., executive medical director, AbbVie. "These responses reinforce that with VENCLEXTA/VENCLYXTO, it is possible for CLL patients to complete treatment and live longer without their disease progressing."

Data from the MURANO and CLL14 trials presented at ASH reinforce that CLL patients who have relapsed or have not started treatment and receive a VENCLEXTA/VENCLYXTO regimen can experience long-lasting responses, even after stopping treatment, compared to standard of care treatment options.

MURANO Five-Year Analysis1The results of the final, descriptive analysis of the MURANO trial (median follow-up of 59.2 months with all patients off VENCLEXTA/VENCLYXTO in combination with rituximab [VenR] treatment for at least three years; Abstract 125) demonstrated the following:

• Investigator (INV)-assessed progression-free survival (PFS): Patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) CLL on fixed duration VenR had a median PFS of 53.6 months (95% CI: 48.4-57.0) compared to 17.0 months (95% CI: 15.5-21.7) with bendamustine plus rituximab (BR; HR 0.19, 95% CI: 0.15-0.26).
• Overall survival (OS): The OS estimate was 82.1% (95% CI: 76.4-87.8) with VenR compared to 62.2% (95% CI: 54.8-69.6) for BR (HR 0.40, 95% CI: 0.26-0.62), median not reached in either arm.
• Minimal residual disease (MRD) status at completion of VenR treatment: Patients who achieved MRD-negativity without disease progression at the end of their treatment course had improved PFS and OS compared to patients with MRD. MRD refers to the small number of cancer cells that remain in the body after treatment. The number of remaining cells may be so small that they do not cause any physical signs or symptoms and often cannot even be detected through traditional methods.4
• Consistent safety profile: The safety profile of the VenR combination is consistent with the known safety profile of each individual therapy alone. No new, serious safety issues were observed in the five-year MURANO updated analysis.

According to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, MRD refers to the small number of cancer cells that remain in the body after treatment.4 The number of remaining cells may be so small that they do not cause any physical signs or symptoms and often cannot even be detected through traditional methods, this is known as undetectable MRD (uMRD). Doctors use MRD/uMRD to measure the effectiveness of treatment and to predict which patients are at risk of relapse.

CLL14 Analyses2,3Data from descriptive analyses of the Phase 3 CLL14 trial was also presented today evaluating the role of MRD measurements in clinical trials.

One analysis showed that patients with previously untreated CLL and co-existing medical conditions who had partial response (PR) after treatment with VENCLEXTA/VENCLYXTO in combination with obinutuzumab (Ven-Obi) had a similar outcome as patients with complete response (CR) when uMRD levels were achieved. These data suggest that patients on the VENCLEXTA/VENCLYXTO combination with uMRD levels and PR had longer PFS than patients with MRD and CR. This is significant because patients with CLL who show a PR to chemoimmunotherapy have a poorer prognosis than patients with CR.2 These results were not tested for statistical significance. (Abstract 1310) 

The second analysis looked at clonal growth patterns – or how quickly cancer cells grow and spread – in patients treated within the CLL14 trial. The findings from the analysis shed light on which patient group may be at risk of relapsing despite initial MRD response.3 (Abstract 127)

The four-year, follow-up analysis showed an OS rate of 85.3% with Ven-Obi versus 83.1% with chlorambucil in combination with obinutuzumab (Obi-Clb; HR 0.85, 95% CI [0.54-1.35]; P=0.4929).

VENCLEXTA is being developed by AbbVie and Roche. It is jointly commercialized by AbbVie and Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, in the U.S. and by AbbVie outside of the U.S.

About the MURANO Trial5,6,7A total of 389 patients with R/R CLL who had received at least one prior therapy were enrolled in the international, multicenter, open-label, randomized Phase 3 MURANO trial. The trial was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of VenR (n=194) compared with BR (n=195). The median age of patients in the trial was 65 years (range: 22 to 85).

The trial met its primary efficacy endpoint of INV-assessed PFS. At the time of the primary analysis, median PFS with VenR was not reached compared with 17.0 months for BR (HR: 0.17; 95% CI: 0.11- 0.25; p6 or creatinine clearance