Photo courtesy of Janssen
Ibrutinib (Imbruvica)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for priority review a supplemental new drug application (sNDA) for ibrutinib (Imbruvica®).
With this sNDA, Pharmacyclics LLC (an AbbVie company) and Janssen Biotech, Inc., are seeking approval for ibrutinib in combination with obinutuzumab (Gazyva®) in previously untreated adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL).
The FDA grants priority review to applications for products that may provide significant improvements in the treatment, diagnosis, or prevention of serious conditions.
The agency intends to take action on a priority review application within 6 months of receiving it rather than the standard 10 months.
Ibrutinib is already FDA-approved as monotherapy for adults with CLL/SLL (previously treated or untreated), with and without 17p deletion. Ibrutinib is also approved in combination with bendamustine and rituximab for adults with previously treated CLL/SLL.
Obinutuzumab is FDA-approved for use in combination with chlorambucil to treat previously untreated CLL.
The sNDA for ibrutinib in combination with obinutuzumab is based on results from the phase 3 iLLUMINATE trial (NCT02264574).
The trial is a comparison of ibrutinib plus obinutuzumab and chlorambucil plus obinutuzumab in patients with previously untreated CLL/SLL.
In May, AbbVie announced that the trial’s primary endpoint was met. Specifically, ibrutinib plus obinutuzumab was associated with significantly longer progression-free survival than chlorambucil plus obinutuzumab.
Data from the trial have not been released. Pharmacyclics and Janssen said they plan to present the data in a future publication or at a medical congress.