Key clinical point: Compared with ibrutinib, zanubrutinib prolonged progression-free survival and demonstrated an improved safety profile in patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL).
Major finding: At a median follow-up of 29.6 months, the zanubrutinib vs ibrutinib group had a 35% decreased risk for progression or death (hazard ratio 0.65; P = .002) and a lower incidence of cardiac disorders (21.3% vs 29.6%) and adverse events leading to treatment discontinuation (15.4% vs 22.2%).
Study details: Findings are from the multicenter phase 3 ALPINE trial including 652 adult patients with relapsed or refractory CLL/SLL treated with ≥1 previous line of therapy who were randomly assigned to receive zanubrutinib (n = 327) or ibrutinib (n = 325).
Disclosures: This study was funded by BeiGene. Some authors reported ties with various organizations, including BeiGene. Six authors declared being employees of or holding stock or stock options in BeiGene.
Source: Brown JR et al. Zanubrutinib or ibrutinib in relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia. N Engl J Med. 2022;388(4):319-332 (Dec 13). Doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2211582