New data demonstrate the benefits of ibrutinib in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients, both in combination and as monotherapy. Janssen, a pharmaceutical company of the American group Johnson & Johnson, will present the new results at the 2021 Congress of Asco, the American Society of Clinical Oncology. The Phase 2 Captivate study, in the cohort of patients with fixed duration treatment of ibrutinib plus venetoclax – summarizes the company in a note – shows that 95% of treated patients survive progression-free after 2 years, with significant remissions in all subgroups, including patients with high-risk LLC. Furthermore, the long-term results of the Resonate-2 study, which to date represents the longest phase 3 follow-up, of 7 years, for Bruton tyrosine kinase (Btk) inhibitors, indicate a strengthening of the benefits in terms of long-term survival and an established safety profile of ibrutinib monotherapy for patients with CLL, a type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and the most common form of leukemia in adults. “The positive results of the Captivate study – says Craig Tendler, Vice President, Clinical Development and Global Medical Affairs, Oncology, Janssen Research & Development – demonstrate the potential of ibrutinib plus venetoclax therapy, thanks to a complementary mechanism of action, to induce deep responses in combination with a fixed duration once a day, regimen that can be administered on an outpatient basis for younger, healthy patients. ” While “the results of Resonate-2 – he adds – further support the long-term benefit of monotherapy with ibrutinib in the first line in patients with CLL. The breadth and importance of the growing number of data continues to indicate this treatment as a standard of treatment and to enhance its impact on progression-free and overall survival “.” Continuous treatment with ibrutinib in patients with CLL is now an established standard of care, also used in those at high risk – comments Paolo Ghia, professor of medical oncology at the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Milan and principal investigator of the Captivate study – The latest data from the study emphasize that ibrutinib, administered orally in combination with venetoclax, also determines a high 2-year progression-free survival rate, allowing to patients remission without treatment “.” Ibrutinib – remembers Edmond Chan, Emea Therapeutic Area Lead Haematology , Janssen-Cilag Ltd – was the first Btk inhibitor approved in Europe and has been used in the treatment of over 230,000 patients worldwide. It is also the first Btk inhibitor studied in a fixed-duration combined regimen treatment. The latest data to be presented at Asco reinforce the potential of ibrutinib as a key treatment option across the entire LLC landscape and add further evidence on its efficacy and safety profile. “