Pirtobrutinib in Chinese patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell malignancies: A single-arm, open-label, phase 2, multicenter trial.

in International journal of cancer by Yanyan Liu, Ningjing Lin, Shuhua Yi, Huiqiang Huang, Ye Guo, Qingyuan Zhang, Haiyan Yang, Huilai Zhang, Liling Zhang, Ru Feng, Yijiao Qian, Jiankun Zhu, Yuqin Song, Jun Zhu

TLDR

  • Pirtobrutinib, a noncovalent BTKi, demonstrated clinically meaningful efficacy in BTKi pretreated R/R MCL and CLL/SLL, with encouraging safety profile, and may provide a new treatment option for affected patients.

Abstract

Pirtobrutinib, a highly selective, noncovalent (reversible) Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi), demonstrated clinically meaningful antitumor responses in covalent BTKi pretreated mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) in the global phase 1/2 BRUIN study. In this multi-center, open-label, phase 2 trial, we investigated the efficacy and safety of pirtobrutinib in Chinese patients with BTKi pretreated relapsed/refractory (R/R) MCL, CLL/SLL, or other B-cell malignancies. All patients received pirtobrutinib once daily in continuous 28-day cycles. The primary endpoint was the overall response rate (ORR). Efficacy was assessed in patients with MCL and CLL/SLL with prior BTKi treatment and safety in all enrolled patients who received at least one dose of pirtobrutinib. Among 35 patients with covalent BTKis (cBTKi) pretreated MCL, the ORR was 62.9% (95% CI: 44.9, 78.5), the median duration of response (DOR) was not reached, and the 12-month DOR rate was 59.7% (95% CI: 35.3, 77.5). Among 11 patients with cBTKi pretreated CLL/SLL, the ORR was 63.6% (95% CI: 30.8, 89.1), and the 12-month DOR rate was 83.3% (95% CI: 27.3, 97.5). The most common adverse events in the safety population (n = 87) were anemia (32.2%) and neutrophil count decreased (31.0%). Grade ≥3 hemorrhage occurred in 2.3% of patients and there were no cases of atrial fibrillation/flutter. Pirtobrutinib demonstrated clinically meaningful efficacy in Chinese patients with cBTKi pretreated R/R MCL, preliminary antitumor activity in Chinese patients with cBTKi pretreated R/R CLL/SLL and was generally well-tolerated with no new safety signals observed.

Overview

  • The study investigated the efficacy and safety of pirtobrutinib, a noncovalent Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi), in Chinese patients with BTKi pretreated relapsed/refractory (R/R) mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), and other B-cell malignancies.
  • The study aimed to determine the overall response rate (ORR) and assess the safety of pirtobrutinib in patients with prior BTKi treatment.
  • The primary endpoint was the ORR in patients with MCL and CLL/SLL with prior BTKi treatment.

Comparative Analysis & Findings

  • The study found that pirtobrutinib demonstrated clinically meaningful efficacy in Chinese patients with cBTKi pretreated R/R MCL, with an ORR of 62.9% and a 12-month DOR rate of 59.7%.
  • Pirtobrutinib also showed preliminary antitumor activity in Chinese patients with cBTKi pretreated R/R CLL/SLL, with an ORR of 63.6% and a 12-month DOR rate of 83.3%.
  • The most common adverse events were anemia (32.2%) and neutrophil count decreased (31.0%); no cases of atrial fibrillation/flutter were observed.

Implications and Future Directions

  • The study demonstrates the potential for pirtobrutinib to provide a new treatment option for patients with BTKi pretreated R/R MCL and CLL/SLL.
  • Further research is needed to explore the long-term safety and efficacy of pirtobrutinib and to identify potential biomarkers for response to the drug.
  • The study highlights the importance of exploring targeted therapies, such as pirtobrutinib, for the treatment of B-cell malignancies.