7th Jun 2021 09:12
(Alliance News) - AstraZeneca PLC on Monday said results from a recent trial comparing medications for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia found several benefits to patients when using Astra's Calquence drug in treatment.
The Cambridge, England-based biopharmaceutical company noted that chronic lymphocytic leukaemia is the most common form of leukaemia in adults. Around 114,000 new cases of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia were reported globally in 2017. The trial aimed to study treatment options to treat the condition and elongate patients lives. Calquence, whose generic name is acalabrutinib, is used to treat adults who have already undergone treatment for mantle cell lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.
AstraZeneca added that chronic lymphocytic leukaemia results from too many blood stem cells in the bone marrow becoming abnormal lymphocytes. These unusual cells struggle to fight off infections. When the number of abnormal cells increases it reduces that space for healthy red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. The condition can result in anaemia, infection and bleeding.
AstraZeneca said that results from the head-to-head Elevate-RR phase three trial showed that when compared with ibrutinib, another treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, Calquence showed non-inferior progression-free survival and statistically significantly fewer events of atrial fibrillation in adults previously treated for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.
Atrial fibrillation is a heart condition characterised by an irregular and abnormally fast heart rate.
Patients treated with Calquence had a statistically significantly lower incidence of all-grade atrial fibrillation compared with patients treated with ibrutinib, a key secondary endpoint, Astra highlighted. Of patients using Calquence, 9.4% experienced all-grade atrial fibrillation, compared with 16.0% of those using ibrutinib.
Separately, updated results at four years of follow-up from the Elevate-TN phase three trial continued to show a strong progression-free survival benefit for Calquence as combination therapy or as monotherapy in previously untreated patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, the most common type of leukemia in adults.
The company said that the randomised, multicentre, Elevate-TN phase three trial showed that when Calquence was combined with obinutuzumab it lowered the risk of Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia progression or death by 90%, and by 81% when Calquence was used alone.
"Cardiac adverse events are an important consideration for treating chronic lymphocytic leukaemia patients with Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitors because they can produce significant morbidity in some cases and also lead patients to discontinue treatment," commented John Byrd, lead investigator of the Elevate-RR trial and professor at Ohio State University.
"These data provide compelling evidence that [Calquence] is a more tolerable option with reduced cardiovascular toxicity and overall fewer discontinuations due to adverse events, giving clinicians further reassurance when prescribing this medicine that patients can stay on treatment while maintaining ongoing control of their disease."
AstraZeneca shares were trading down 0.9% at 7,982.72 pence each in London on Monday morning.
By Scarlett Butler; [email protected]
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