Can a Three-Drug combo outsmart High-Risk CLL?
NCT ID NCT07738887
First seen Jul 31, 2026 · Last updated Jul 31, 2026
Summary
This phase 2 trial is testing whether adding a new immune-boosting drug, epcoritamab, to two existing targeted therapies (ibrutinib and venetoclax) can improve outcomes for people with untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) who have TP53 alterations. These genetic changes make the disease harder to treat and more likely to progress. The study will give participants the drugs in a sequence, starting with ibrutinib alone, then adding venetoclax, and finally epcoritamab, with the goal of achieving deep remissions (complete response with undetectable minimal residual disease) while using a fixed treatment duration. The trial will also monitor safety and tolerability in this high-risk group.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- A combination of three drugs: ibrutinib (a targeted therapy), venetoclax (a BCL-2 inhibitor), and epcoritamab (a bispecific antibody that helps immune cells attack cancer).
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this combination could offer a more effective, fixed-duration treatment for a high-risk form of CLL, potentially leading to deeper and longer-lasting remissions without continuous therapy.
- What could go wrong
- This is a phase 2 trial with a small number of participants, so results may not be conclusive. The triple-drug regimen may cause significant side effects, and not all patients may respond as hoped.
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
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 44 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Dec 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2032
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 79 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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: 1. Participant who understood and voluntarily signed and dated an informed consent form prior to any trial-specific assessments/procedures being conducted 2. Must be able to adhere to the trial visit schedule and other protocol requirements 3. Age between ≥ 18 years and \< 80 years at the time of signing the informed consent form (ICF) 4. Cumulative Illness Rating Score (CIRS) ≤ 6 5. CD20+, untreated and documented CLL or SLL, with a Royal Marsden Hospital (RMH) or Matutes Score \> 3. For SLL a detectable clone with a CLL phenotype in the peripheral blood is a prerequisite for trial participation. 6. Presence of TP53 abnormalities (either 17p deletion by FISH and/or TP53 mutations) according to ERIC recommandations.17 7. Participant requiring treatment according to 2018 iwCLL guidelines 18 8. Presence of measurable disease (absolute lymphocyte count \> 5,000/μL, palpable or measurable lymph node ≥1.5cm on imaging, or bone marrow involvement 9. ECOG performance status 0 to 2 10. Adequate hematopoietic function within 7 days before the participant's enrollment * ANC ≥ 1 G/L * And Platelets ≥ 50 G/L * And Hemoglobin ≥ 8 g/dL Note: Platelets and/or red blood cells transfusions may be administered during screening to meet this requirement 11. Adequate renal function defined by a Creatinine Clearance ≥ 50 ml/min calculated according to MDRD or CKD-EPI or Cockcroft-Gault (using actual body weight). 12. Adequate liver function, as indicated by a total bilirubin \<1.5 x ULN, AST and ALT \<3 x ULN value, unless directly attributed to the participant's CLL/SLL or to Gilbert's Syndrome (the ULN is based on institutional values) 13. The participant must have been vaccinated against pneumococcal (\< 5 years) and SARS-CoV-2 (\< 1 year) with at least 21 days between the last vaccination and the participant's enrollment 14. Woman of childbearing potential (WOCBP): * should have a negative result for pregnancy test (minimum sensitivity of 25 mIU/mL, urine or serum), within 28 days prior the participant's enrollment * should agree to use 1 form of highly effective method of contraception from the time of screening until at least 12 months after the final dose of epcoritamab, or at least 3 months after the final dose of ibrutinib or at least 30 days after the final dose of venetoclax, whichever is the longest 15. Woman should agree to abstain from breastfeeding during trial participation and at least 4 months after the last study treatment administration 16. Woman should agree to perform further pregnancy testing monthly 17. Woman should agree not to donate eggs (ova, oocytes) for the purposes of assisted reproduction during the entire trial, until 12 months after the last administration of study treatment. 18. Man of reproductive potential should agree to use an acceptable method of birth control during treatment and until at least 12 months after the final dose of epcoritamab, 3 months after the final dose of ibrutinib and 30 days after the final dose of venetoclax (see section 15.7.3 Acceptable birth control methods). Men should agree not to donate sperm during the entire trial and until 12 months after the last administration of study treatment. 19. Participant covered by any social security system (France) 20. Participant who understands and speaks one of the country official languages unless local regulation authorizes independent translators 21. Life expectancy \> 6 months Exclusion Criteria: 1. Any prior CLL or SLL-specific therapies, even including rituximab used for autoimmune cytopenias. 2. Clinically significant cardiovascular disease including the following: 1. Myocardial infarction within 6 months prior to ICF signature 2. Unstable angina within 3 months prior to ICF signature 3. NYHA class III or IV heart failure 4. Uncontrolled hypertension 5. History of clinically significant arrhythmias (including sustained ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, or torsades de pointes). 6. QTcF \> 480 msec using the Fridericia formula 7. History of Mobitz II second- or third-degree heart block without permanent pacemaker 8. LVEF \<50% as determined by echocardiography or multiple uptake gated acquisition (MUGA) scan 3. Child-Pugh liver cirrhosis. 4. Clinical evidence for Central Nervous System involvement by CLL 5. History of ongoing or confirmed Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML). 6. Active autoimmune disease or other disease requiring permanent immunosuppressive treatment including steroids therapy \> 20mg daily of prednisone dose or equivalent within 15 days prior participant's enrollment 7. Active, uncontrolled autoimmune hemolytic anemia or idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, requiring steroid therapy with \> 20 mg daily of prednisone dose or equivalent within 15 days prior participant's enrollment 8. Any prior history of Richter transformation or DLBCL 9. Active malignancy other than the one treated in this trial. Prior history of malignancies unless the participant has been free of the disease for ≥ 2 years. However, participants with the following history /conditions that have been treated with a curative intent are allowed: 1. Non-invasive basal cell or epidermoid carcinoma (non melanoma) 2. In situ carcinoma of the cervix 3. In situ carcinoma of the breast 4. Incidental histologic finding of prostate cancer (T1a or T1b) using the tumor, nodes, metastasis \[TNM\] clinical staging system Woman with adjuvant endocrine therapy (I.e., hormonotherapy) after breast cancer treatment can be enrolled if hormonotherapy was started for ≥ 2 years 10. History of stroke or intracranial hemorrhage within 6 months prior to ICF signature. 11. Major surgery anticipated before the ICF signature 12. Known bleeding disorders 13. Active Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection (RNA PCR-positive). Participants who received treatment for HCV infection that was intended to eradicate the virus may participate if hepatitis C RNA levels are undetectable 14. Active Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection (DNA PCR-positive). Participants with evidence of prior HBV infection but who are PCR-negative are permitted in the trial but should receive prophylactic antiviral therapy during the entire treatment with active monitoring of viral load in the blood 15. Known history of seropositivity for HIV infection 16. Known or suspected hypersensitivity or anaphylaxis to trial intervention(s) including active substance or to any of the excipients. 17. Requires treatment with warfarin, other vitamin K antagonists, or dual antiplatelet therapy 18. Requires treatment with a strong cytochrome CYP3A4 inhibitor/inducer 19. Vaccinated with live, attenuated vaccines within 6 months of enrollment 20. Participation in another clinical study who would compromise the participation to the current study. 21. Use of any standard or experimental anti-cancer drug therapy within 28 days or 5 half-lives (whichever is shorter) before the participant's enrollment 22. Any prior therapy with a bispecific antibody targeting CD3 and CD20 23. Prior allogeneic stem cells or autologous transplant. 24. Pregnant, planning to become pregnant or lactating woman 25. Any significant medical conditions, or laboratory abnormality or psychiatric illness likely to interfere with participation in this clinical trial (according to the investigator's decision) 26. Ongoing active bacterial, viral, fungal, mycobacterial, parasitic or other infection requiring systemic treatment (excluding prophylactic treatment) at the time of enrollment or within the previous 2 weeks prior to the first dose of trial drug, including COVID-19 infection and participants with positive cytomegalovirus PCR. 27. Participant deprived of their liberty by a judicial or administrative decision 28. Participant hospitalized without consent 29. Adult participant under legal protection
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
29 sites in 2 countries. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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AP-HP Pitié Salpêtrière
Paris, 75013, France
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AP-HP Saint-Louis
Paris, 75010, France
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CHU DE Montpellier
Montpellier, 34090, France
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CHU d'ANGERS
Angers, 49100, France
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CHU de Bordeaux HOPITAL HAUT-LEVEQUE
Pessac, 33000, France
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Centre Antoine Lacassagne
Nice, 06100, France
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Ch Du Mans-Centre de Cancerologie de La Sarthe
Le Mans, 72100, France
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Ch Metropole Savoie
Chambéry, 73000, France
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Ch Mont-de-Marsan - Hopital de Layné
Mont-de-Marsan, 40000, France
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Ch Rene Dubos
Pontoise, 95300, France
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Chd de Vendee
La Roche-sur-Yon, 85000, France
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Chr Metz-Thionville - Hopital de Mercy
Metz, 57530, France
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Chru de Strasbourg
Strasbourg, 67000, France
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Chu Estaing
Clermont-Ferrand, 63100, France
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Chu Lyon-Sud
Lyon, 69310, France
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Chu Pontchaillou
Rennes, 35000, France
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Chu Ucl Namur - Site Godinne
Namur, 5000, Belgium
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Chu de Lille - Hopital Claude Huriez
Lille, 59000, France
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Chu de Nantes
Nantes, 44000, France
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Chu de Poitiers - Hopital de La Miletrie
Poitiers, 86000, France
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Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus Grand Paris
Paris, 94800, France
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HELORA - Hôpital de La Louvière Site Jolimont
La Louvière, 7100, Belgium
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Institut D'Hematologie de Basse Normandie
Caen, 14000, France
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Institut Jules Bordet
Brussels, 1070, Belgium
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Institut Paoli Calmettes
Marseille, 13009, France
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Institut de Cancérologie et d'Hématologie Universitaire de Saint-Étienne
Saint-Etienne, 42270, France
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Iuct Oncopole
Toulouse, 31100, France
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U.Z. LEUVEN - Campus GASTHUISBERG
Leuven, 3001, Belgium
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Universitair Ziekenhuis Gent
Ghent, 9000, Belgium
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Two-Drug combo aims to push CLL into deep remission
- Can a new BTK inhibitor outsmart resistance in CLL?
- Can a new pill outsmart Drug-Resistant leukemia?
- Can engineered immune cells beat tough B-Cell cancers?
- Can a targeted drug outperform chemo for a common blood cancer?
- Can a triple drug combo outsmart High-Risk CLL?