The investigational drug asciminib (being developed by Novartis) may become the new kid on the block for the treatment of chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CMP-CP) for patients who have relapsed on or are refractory to at least two prior tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs).
New results from the ASCEMBL study (NCT03106779) show that patients who received asciminib, which works differently from currently approved therapies for CML-CP, achieved better responses compared to bosutinib (Bosulif) as third-line therapy.
“The ASCEMBL study opens a new chapter for CML, proving comparatively superior efficacy and excellent safety for a new class of ABL inhibitors,” co-investigator Michael J. Mauro, MD, from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, told Medscape Medical News.
The trial was presented as a late-breaking abstract at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2020 virtual meeting.
Asciminib is a first-of-a-kind STAMP (Specifically Targeting the ABL Myristoyl Pocket) inhibitor