Chemo-Free combo shows promise for CLL patients
NCT ID NCT02666898
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This phase 2 trial tested a chemotherapy-free combination of two drugs, obinutuzumab and ibrutinib, in 135 people with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The treatment was given for nine months, and then the next steps were decided based on how much leukemia remained in the bone marrow. The goal was to see if this approach could control the disease without traditional chemotherapy.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- obinutuzumab (GA101) and ibrutinib (Imbruvica)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward a chemotherapy-free treatment option for chronic lymphocytic leukemia that is tailored based on how well the disease responds.
- What could go wrong
- This is a phase 2 trial with only 135 participants, so results are not definitive. The treatment may not work for everyone, and side effects from the drugs are possible.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
-
135 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Oct 2015
- Finished
-
Sep 2023
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 years and older
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Patient information and written informed consent * Age 18 years or older * Immunophenotypically confirmed B-CLL (IWCLL2008 and Matutes score 4 or 5) * Binet stage C according to IWCLL 2008 criteria or Binet stage A and B with active disease could be considered for inclusion. * Patients with no prior treatment (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy) except steroids for less than 1 month * Absence of 17p deletion as assessed by FISH (\< 10 % positive nuclei) * Performance status ECOG \< 2 * CIRS (Cumulative Illness Rating Scale) ≤ 6 (see appendix 4 for calculation of CIRS score) Mandatory inclusion criteria for treatment with ibrutinib Hematology values must be within the following limits: * Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \<1 G/L independent of growth factor support * Platelets \<100 G/L or \<50 G/L if bone marrow involvement independent of transfusion support in either situation Biochemical values within the following limits: * Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≤ 3 x upper limit of normal (ULN) * Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 x ULN unless bilirubin rise is due to Gilbert's syndrome or of non-hepatic origin * Serum creatinine ≤ 2 x ULN or estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (Cockroft Gault≥ 40 mL/min/1.73m2 * Women of childbearing potential and men who are sexually active must be practicing a highly effective method of birth control during and after the study consistent with local regulations regarding the use of birth control methods for subjects participating in clinical trials. Men must agree to not donate sperm during and after the study. For females, these restrictions apply for 1 month after the last dose of study drug. For males, these restrictions apply for 3 months after the last dose of study drug. * Women of childbearing potential must have a negative serum (beta-human chorionic gonadotropin \[Beta-hCG\]) or urine pregnancy test at Screening. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding are ineligible for this study. * Sign (or their legally-acceptable representatives must sign) an informed consent document indicating that they understand the purpose of and procedures required for the study, including biomarkers, and are willing to participate in the study Exclusion Criteria: * Binet stage A and B without active disease according to IWCLL 2008 criteria * Known HIV seropositivity * Hepatitis B or C seropositivity (unless clearly due to vaccination) * Active hemolysis (isolated positive DAT is not an exclusion criteria) * Life expectancy \< 6 months * Patient refusal to perform the bone marrow biopsy for evaluation points * Clinically significant auto-immune anemia * Active second malignancy currently requiring treatment (except basal cell carcinoma in situ endometrial carcinoma and incidental prostate carcinoma) and/or less than 5 years CR after breast cancer * Any severe co-morbid conditions such as Class III or IV heart failure, myocardial infarction within months, unstable angina, ventricular tachyarrhythmias requiring ongoing treatment, severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with hypoxemia, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, or uncontrolled hypertension * Concomitant disease requiring prolonged use of corticosteroids (\> 1 month) * Known hypersensitivity with anaphylactic reaction to humanized monoclonal antibodies or any of the study drugs * Contraindication to the use of Obinutuzumab. * Contraindication to use of Ibrutinib * Transformation to aggressive B-cell malignancy (e.g. diffuse large cell lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, or prolymphocytic leukaemia) * Active bacterial, viral or fungal infection * Abnormal renal function with creatinine clearance \< 60 ml/min calculated according to the formula of Cockcroft and Gault * Total bilirubin, gamma glutamyltransferase or transaminase levels \> 2.5 ULN. * Any coexisting medical or psychological condition that would preclude participation in the required study procedures * Patient with mental deficiency preventing proper understanding of the requirements of treatment. * Pregnant or breastfeeding women. * Adult under law-control * Fertile male and female patients who cannot or do not wish to use an effective method of contraception, during and for 18 months after the final treatment used for the purposes of the study. * No affiliate to social security Mandatory exclusion criteria for treatment with Ibrutinib * Major surgery within 4 weeks of randomization. * Known central nervous system lymphoma. * History of stroke or intracranial hemorrhage within 6 months prior to randomization. * Requires anticoagulation with warfarin or equivalent vitamin K antagonists * Requires treatment with strong CYP3A inhibitors. * Clinically significant cardiovascular disease such as uncontrolled or symptomatic arrhythmias, congestive heart failure, or myocardial infarction within 6 months of Screening, or any Class 3 (moderate) or Class 4 (severe) cardiac disease as defined by the New York Heart Association Functional Classification. * Vaccinated with live, attenuated vaccines within 4 weeks of randomization. * Known history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or active Hepatitis C Virus or active Hepatitis B Virus infection or any uncontrolled active systemic infection requiring intravenous (IV) antibiotics. * Any life-threatening illness, medical condition, or organ system dysfunction which, in the investigator's opinion, could compromise the subject's safety, interfere with the absorption or metabolism of ibrutinib capsules, or put the study outcomes at undue risk.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Leukemia, lymphocytic, chronic, B-cell are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Sponsor FILO
Tours, 37054, France
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- New hope for tough blood cancers: early trial of ONO-7018 begins
- New combo therapy for CLL tested in Real-World settings
- New CLL strategy: give extra drug only to those who still have cancer cells
- New pill shows promise for Hard-to-Treat blood cancers
- New pill shows promise for Hard-to-Treat leukemia and lymphoma
- Engineered immune cells take on tough leukemias