Pharmacyclics Initiates Study Investigating Ibrutinib in Combination with AstraZeneca's MEDI4736 for Treatment of Blood Cancers

Strategic Insights -

Pharmacyclics, Inc. has initiated a new study, PCYC-1136-CA, to investigate the effectiveness of combining ibrutinib, a medication used to treat certain blood cancers, with MEDI4736, an investigational anti-PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor being developed by AstraZeneca. The Phase Ib/II study aims to enroll approximately 109 patients in the U.S. and will examine the safety, tolerability, and effectiveness of the combination in patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) or follicular lymphoma (FL).

Key Takeaways:

  • The study will investigate the combination of ibrutinib and MEDI4736, an investigational anti-PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor, to treat patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) or follicular lymphoma (FL).
  • The Phase Ib portion of the study will focus on determining the safety, tolerability, and appropriate dose of the combination, while the Phase II portion will examine the safety and effectiveness of the treatment combination.
  • The clinical study will be conducted at several sites in the U.S. and will aim to enroll approximately 109 patients.
  • Darrin Beaupre, M.D., Ph.D., Head of Early Development and Immunotherapy at Pharmacyclics, stated that the pre-clinical activity observed by combining therapies like ibrutinib and immunotherapy agents has led to the investigation of the potential to improve outcomes for patients with refractory blood cancers.
  • IMBRUVICA, a medication used to treat certain blood cancers, is jointly developed and commercialized by Pharmacyclics and Janssen Biotech, Inc.