Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Applauds FDA's Approval of Ibrutinib for CLL
In response to FDA's approval earlier this week of ibrutinib (Imbruvica) to treat patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who had received at least one prior therapy, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) issued the following statement:
"After the FDA designated ibrutinib as a breakthrough therapy for patients with certain forms of blood cancers last year, we were all hopeful that it would only be a matter of time before the therapy was approved to treat these patients, for whom there are few good treatment options," said Louis J. DeGennaro, PhD, Interim President and CEO of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. "Many patients with B-cell cancers do not respond well to standard therapies and new treatments such as ibrutinib are urgently needed. LLS exists to find cures and ensure access to treatments for blood cancer patients, and any new advance that brings the potential to help save more lives is good news," Dr. DeGennaro said.
LLS-Funded Trials
The statement added that funding from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has supported clinical trials and laboratory studies of ibrutinib for patients with CLL, mantle cell lymphoma, and other lymphomas. John C. Byrd, MD, of the Ohio State University, leads an LLS-funded research team that has been instrumental in advancing ibrutinib. LLS-funded researcher Jonathan Friedberg, MD, of University of Rochester was part of a team showing effectiveness of ibrutinib against diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cells, and Peter Martin, MD, of Weill Cornell Medical College, and colleagues have reported positive findings from a phase II ibrutinib trial for patients with mantle cell lymphoma. In addition, LLS-funded researcher Jennifer Brown, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, has also played an important role in clinical trials for ibrutinib.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is a voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer with a mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. The Society funds blood cancer research around the world, provides free information and support services, and is an advocate for patients with blood cancer seeking access to quality, affordable, coordinated care.
The content in this post has not been reviewed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) and does not necessarily reflect the ideas and opinions of ASCO®.
