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ASCO conference: AbbVie sees positive early data in blood cancer drug combo

AbbVie Inc. said a combination of Imbruvica and Venclexta helped certain patients with blood cancer achieve remission, or when cancer signs and symptoms disappear.

The phase 2 study, called Captivate, enrolled 164 patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma. While both diseases stem from the excessive production of white blood cells, CLL mainly starts in the bone marrow, while SLL mainly starts in the lymph nodes.

Early trial data included responses from 30 participants who received at least six cycles of treatment: 77% achieved no minimal residual disease, or MRD — a measure of remaining cancer cells — after the sixth cycle.

Positive results were also observed in the first 14 patients to complete the study's intended 12 cycles of treatment. AbbVie said there was no detectable MRD in about 90% of the subjects, with 93% and 86% achieving negative MRD when sampling peripheral blood and bone marrow, respectively.

"The phase 2 results from the Captivate study suggest we could be one step closer to advancing treatment without the use of chemotherapy for patients with CLL and SLL," Danelle James, head of clinical science at AbbVie's Pharmacyclics LLC, said in a news release.

AbbVie co-markets Imbruvica in the U.S. with Johnson & Johnson The drug, which is approved to treat six diseases, brought in $2.57 billion in 2017.

The 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting is expected to bring together more than 32,000 professionals from all over the world, with more than 2,500 study abstracts to be presented on site and an additional 3,350 abstracts to be published online.