New drug combo aims to outperform standard therapy for Hard-to-Treat blood cancers

NCT ID NCT05947851

Recruiting now Disease control Sponsor: Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Aug 07, 2026 · Updated 5 times

Summary

This phase 3 trial is testing whether a new drug, nemtabrutinib, combined with venetoclax works better than the current standard of venetoclax plus rituximab for people with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL). About 735 participants who have already tried at least one prior therapy will be randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groups. The main goal is to see if the new combination improves how long people live without their cancer getting worse.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: Nemtabrutinib (a targeted cancer drug) combined with venetoclax (another targeted cancer drug)
What this could lead to: If successful, this combination could offer a more effective treatment option for people with relapsed or refractory CLL/SLL, potentially slowing disease progression better than current therapies.
What could go wrong: This is an early-stage combination study, so safety and effectiveness are not yet proven. Side effects may include serious toxicities, and the new drug may not work better than existing treatments.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

CLL LEUKEMIA, CHRONIC LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA, LYMPHOCYTIC, CHRONIC, B-CELL LYMPHOMA, SMALL LYMPHOCYTIC SLL SMALL-CELL LYMPHOMA

Contacts and locations

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Study contacts

Contact

Email: •••••@•••••

Locations

Alberts Cellular Therapy. ( Site 4401)
RECRUITING

Pretoria, Gauteng, 0181, South Africa
Ankara Universitesi Tip Fakultesi Hastanesi-hematology ( Site 4913)
COMPLETED

Ankara, 06100, Turkey (Türkiye)
Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova-Hematology ( Site 2900)
RECRUITING

Reggio Emilia, 42123, Italy
Auxilio Mutuo Cancer Center ( Site 3900)
RECRUITING

San Juan, 00918, Puerto Rico
Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo ( Site 2906)
RECRUITING

Alessandria, 15121, Italy
Biocenter ( Site 1507)
RECRUITING

Concepción, Biobio, 4070196, Chile
CHD Vendee ( Site 2100)
RECRUITING

La Roche-sur-Yon, Vendee, 85925, France
Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders ( Site 5439)
RECRUITING

Bethesda, Maryland, 20817, United States
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Estaing ( Site 2105)
RECRUITING

Clermont-Ferrand, Puy-de-Dome, 63100, France
Centre Intégré de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Montérégie-Centre ( Site 1402)
RECRUITING

Greenfield Park, Quebec, J4V 2H1, Canada
Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de l'Estrie - Centre Hospitalier Univer ( Site 1410)
RECRUITING

Sherbrooke, Quebec, J1H 5H4, Canada
Centro Medico Fleischer ( Site 1006)
RECRUITING

Buenos Aires, 1414, Argentina
Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas (CEMIC)-Hematology ( Site 1002)
RECRUITING

Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires F.D., C1431FWO, Argentina
Centro de Estudios Clínicos SAGA-CECSAGA ( Site 1509)
RECRUITING

Santiago, Region M. de Santiago, 7500653, Chile
Centro de Infusion Superare ( Site 3314)
RECRUITING

Mexico City, Mexico City, 03100, Mexico
Centro de Investigacion Clinica Chapultepec ( Site 3309)
RECRUITING

Morelia, Michoacán, 58260, Mexico
City Hospital, Nottingham University Hospitals-Hematology ( Site 5002)
RECRUITING

Nottingham, England, NG5 1PF, United Kingdom
Clínica Inmunocel ( Site 1511)
RECRUITING

Santiago, Region M. de Santiago, 7580206, Chile
Ege Universitesi Hastanesi ( Site 4902)
RECRUITING

Bornova, İzmir, 35100, Turkey (Türkiye)
FALP-UIDO ( Site 1500)
RECRUITING

Santiago, Region M. de Santiago, 7500921, Chile
Fort Wayne Medical Oncology and Hematology ( Site 5444)
RECRUITING

Fort Wayne, Indiana, 46804, United States
Fundación Valle del Lili ( Site 1703)
RECRUITING

Cali, Valle del Cauca Department, 760032, Colombia
Groote Schuur Hospital ( Site 4400)
RECRUITING

Cape Town, Western Cape, 7925, South Africa
HOSPITAL CLINICO DE VALENCIA-HEMATOLOGY ( Site 4603)
RECRUITING

Valencia, Valenciana, Comunitat, 46010, Spain
HOSPITAL UNIVERSITARIO QUIRONSALUD MADRID ( Site 4602)
RECRUITING

Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, 28223, Spain
Hadassah Medical Center-Hemato-Oncology ( Site 2812)
RECRUITING

Jerusalem, 9112001, Israel
Haemalife ( Site 4407)
RECRUITING

Kuilsriver, Western Cape, 7580, South Africa
Hattiesburg Clinic Hematology/Oncology ( Site 5416)
RECRUITING

Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 39401, United States
Health Pharma Professional Research S.A. de C.V: ( Site 3301)
RECRUITING

Mexico City, Mexico City, 03100, Mexico
Highlands Oncology Group ( Site 5405)
RECRUITING

Springdale, Arkansas, 72762, United States
Hopital Claude Huriez - CHU de Lille ( Site 2107)
RECRUITING

Lille, Nord, 59037, France
Hospital Aleman-oncohematologic diseases ( Site 1001)
RECRUITING

Buenos Aires, C1118AAT, Argentina
IC La Serena Research ( Site 1506)
RECRUITING

La Serena, Coquimbo Region, 1720430, Chile
ICESP - INSTITUTO DO CÂNCER DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO-Pesquisa Clinica ( Site 1308)
ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

São Paulo, 01246-000, Brazil
Instituto Alexander Fleming ( Site 1005)
RECRUITING

Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, C1426ANZ, Argentina
Instituto Catalan de Oncologia - Hospital Duran i Reynals-Haematology Department ( Site 4601)
RECRUITING

L'Hospitalet Del Llobregat, Barcelona, 08908, Spain
Instituto de Investigaciones Clínicas Mar del Plata ( Site 1007)
RECRUITING

Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, B7600FZO, Argentina
Klinikum Mutterhaus der Borromäerinnen-Innere Medizin I ( Site 2203)
RECRUITING

Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, 54290, Germany
Medical Oncology Associates, PS ( Site 5406)
RECRUITING

Spokane, Washington, 99208, United States
Mega Medipol-Hematology ( Site 4904)
RECRUITING

Istanbul, 34214, Turkey (Türkiye)
Memorial Hospital West ( Site 5410)
RECRUITING

Pembroke Pines, Florida, 33028, United States
MemorialCare Health System - Long Beach Medical Center ( Site 5421)
RECRUITING

Long Beach, California, 90806, United States
Namik Kemal University Medical Faculty-Hematology ( Site 4912)
RECRUITING

Tekirdağ, Tekirdas, 59100, Turkey (Türkiye)
Oregon Health and Science University ( Site 5425)
RECRUITING

Portland, Oregon, 97239-3011, United States
Ospedale San Raffaele-Programma di Ricerca Strategica sulla LLC ( Site 2902)
RECRUITING

Milan, 20132, Italy
Rambam Health Care Campus ( Site 2801)
RECRUITING

Haifa, 3109601, Israel
Royal Adelaide Hospital ( Site 1104)
RECRUITING

Adelaide, South Australia, 5000, Australia
Sanatorio Parque ( Site 1003)
RECRUITING

Rosario, Santa Fe Province, S2000DSV, Argentina
Sheba Medical Center-Hemato Oncology ( Site 2809)
RECRUITING

Ramat Gan, 5265601, Israel
Sourasky Medical Center ( Site 2811)
RECRUITING

Tel Aviv, 6423906, Israel
TC Saglik Bakanligi Goztepe Prof. Dr. Suleyman Yalcin Sehir Hastanesi ( Site 4906)
RECRUITING

Istanbul, 34722, Turkey (Türkiye)
The Moncton Hospital ( Site 1414)
RECRUITING

Moncton, New Brunswick, E1C 6Z8, Canada
UZ Leuven-Hematology ( Site 1200)
RECRUITING

Leuven, Vlaams-Brabant, 3000, Belgium
University College London Hospital-Cancer Clinical Trials Unit ( Site 5001)
RECRUITING

London-Camden, London, City of, NW1 2PG, United Kingdom
University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics-Carbone Cancer Center ( Site 5423)
COMPLETED

Madison, Wisconsin, 53792, United States
Universitätsklinikum Leipzig-Medical Department I - Hematology and Celltherapy ( Site 2201)
RECRUITING

Leipzig, Saxony, 04103, Germany
Vista Oncology ( Site 5449)
RECRUITING

Olympia, Washington, 98506, United States
Western Health-Sunshine & Footscray Hospitals-Cancer Services-Cancer Research ( Site 1103)
RECRUITING

Melbourne, Victoria, 3021, Australia
ZAS Cadix ( Site 1203)
RECRUITING

Antwerp, 2030, Belgium

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