CLL patients may soon stop daily pills: new combo aims for Fixed-Duration treatment
NCT ID NCT06958705
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether adding venetoclax (a targeted drug) to ongoing BTK inhibitor therapy can help people with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) achieve deep remission and then stop all treatment. About 79 adults who have been on a BTK inhibitor for at least 6 months and are still responding will receive venetoclax for 12 cycles. After that, both drugs are stopped and patients are monitored. The goal is to see if this fixed-duration approach can maintain remission without lifelong medication.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- venetoclax (a targeted drug) added to a BTK inhibitor (ibrutinib, zanubrutinib, orelabrutinib, or acalabrutinib)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this approach could allow CLL patients to stop all medication after a fixed treatment period, instead of taking drugs indefinitely.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase (phase 2) study with only 79 participants. It may not work for everyone, and side effects from combining two powerful 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
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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 79 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Dec 2025
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Feb 2028
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 80 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\. Age: 18-80 years-old. * 2\. Patients must have a diagnosis of CLL/SLL. * 3\. Detectable MRD by flow cytometry (10\^-4 sensitivity) in the peripheral blood. * 4\. Patients who are on BTK inhibitor monotherapy for more than 6 months. This study includes patients who are taking one of the following BTK inhibitors: ibrutinib, zanubrutinib, orelabrutinib, and acalabrutinib. * 5\. Patients need to have a response of at least PR (CR/PR) to BTK inhibitor monotherapy. * 6\. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status ≤ 2. * 7\. Patients must have adequate renal and hepatic function: * Serum bilirubin ≤ 1.5 × upper limit of normal (ULN) or ≤ 3 × ULN for patients with Gilbert's disease; * Serum creatinine clearance of ≥ 50 ml/min (calculated or measured); * ALT and AST ≤ 3.0 × ULN, unless clearly due to disease involvement. * 8\. Adequate bone marrow function: * Platelet count of greater than 50,000/µl, with no platelet transfusion in prior 2 weeks; * ANC ≥ 1000/µl in the absence of growth factor support unless due to compromised bone marrow production from CLL, indicated by ≥ 80% CLL in marrow; * Hemoglobin ≥ 8g/dL. * 9\. Adequate cardiac function, as assessed by: * Absence of uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmia; * Echocardiogram demonstrating LVEF ≥ 35%; * NYHA functional class ≤ 2. * 10\. Ability to provide informed consent and adhere to the required follow-up. Exclusion Criteria: * 1\. Richter transformation. * 2\. Active malignancy requiring systemic therapy, other than CLL, with the exception of: adequately treated in situ carcinoma of the cervix uteri; adequately treated basal cell carcinoma or localized squamous cell carcinoma of the skin; previous malignancy confined and surgically resected (or treated with other modalities) with curative intent. * 3\. Major surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, biologic therapy, immunotherapy, experimental therapy within 3 weeks prior to the first dose of the study drug. * 4\. Grade 3 or 4 hemorrhage within the past 3 weeks. * 5\. Uncontrolled active infections (viral, bacterial, and fungal). * 6\. Females who are pregnant or lactating. * 7\. Known HIV positive. * 8\. Active hepatitis B infection (defined as the presence of detectable HBV DNA or HBe antigen). Patients who are HBsAg positive or HBcAb positive are eligible, provided HBV DNA is negative. These patients must have monthly monitoring of HBV DNA for the duration of the study. * 9\. Active hepatitis C, defined by the detection of hepatitis C RNA in plasma by PCR. * 10\. Active, uncontrolled autoimmune phenomenon (autoimmune hemolytic anemia or immune thrombocytopenia) requiring steroid therapy \> 20 mg prednisone daily or equivalent, within 7 days of starting venetoclax. * 11\. Received other therapeutic agents for CLL/SLL during BTK inhibitor treatment prior to enrollment. * 12\. Concurrent use of warfarin or equivalent vitamin K inhibitor or other oral anticoagulant treatment. * 13\. Received strong CYP3A inhibitors or strong CYP3A inducers within 7 days of starting venetoclax. * 14\. Consuming grapefruit, grapefruit products, Seville oranges, or star fruit within 7 days of starting venetoclax. * 15\. Prior treatment with venetoclax or other Bcl-2 inhibitor. * 16\. Malabsorption syndrome or other condition that precludes enteral route of administration.
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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
1 site. 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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Department of Haematology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu Province Hospital
RECRUITINGNanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, China
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