AbbVie, a research-based global biopharmaceutical company, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of IMBRUVICA® (ibrutinib) in combination with rituximab for the treatment of previously untreated patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL). This milestone marks the 11th FDA approval for IMBRUVICA since it was first approved in 2013 and the sixth in CLL, the most common form of leukemia in adults.
“The gold-standard first-line treatment option for many patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who were fit enough to tolerate an aggressive treatment course had been the intravenous chemoimmunotherapy of FCR – that is, until today,” said Brian Koffman, M.D., C.M., Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President, CLL Society. “The FDA approval of ibrutinib and rituximab regimen is welcome news for these previously untreated patients who have been looking forward to a non-chemotherapy treatment option. The results from ECOG-ACRIN’s E1912 clinical trial in previously untreated, younger adult patients and today’s milestone represent a paradigm shift in how physicians can treat patients with CLL and may enable many to choose a non-chemotherapy treatment option.” ...
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