AstraZeneca declares positive interim data from mantle cell lymphoma trial

AstraZeneca's Phase III ECHO trial showed promising results for Calquence (acalabrutinib), a Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, combined with standard chemoimmunotherapy in treating mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

The double-blind, randomized trial involved elderly, previously untreated MCL patients and assessed Calquence plus bendamustine and rituximab against chemoimmunotherapy alone.

Primary endpoint: progression-free survival (PFS); secondary endpoints: overall survival (OS), overall response rate (ORR), duration of response (DoR), and time to response (TTR).

Spanning 27 countries, the trial demonstrated a significant improvement in PFS with the Calquence regimen and a trend toward improved OS.

Calquence's safety profile was consistent with prior data, without new safety concerns. AstraZeneca continues to explore Calquence's efficacy in B-cell blood cancers through a comprehensive clinical program.

Calquence is approved for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) in various regions and for relapsed/refractory CLL and SLL in Japan and China. It's also approved for adult MCL patients who received at least one prior therapy in the US, China, and other countries.