Last-resort leukemia combo shows early promise in tiny trial
NCT ID NCT04926285
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This early-phase study tested a combination of two drugs, venetoclax and omacetaxine, in 6 adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) whose cancer had stopped responding to venetoclax-based treatments. The main goal was to find the safest dose of omacetaxine when given with venetoclax. Researchers also looked for signs that the cancer shrank or disappeared. Because the trial is very small and early, it cannot yet say whether this combination works well.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Venetoclax and omacetaxine
- What this could lead to
- If this works, it could offer a new treatment option for people with acute myeloid leukemia whose cancer has stopped responding to venetoclax.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, small study (only 6 people) to find the right dose and check safety. It is not yet designed to prove the combination works, and side effects are unknown.
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 1
The first testing in people. Mainly checks safety and dose, usually in a small group.
- Participants
-
6 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Jun 2022
- Finished
-
Feb 2025
- 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 to 75 years
- 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: 1. Age 18-75 years of age at time of consent. 2. Have relapsed/refractory AML (primary or secondary) and have progressed on ≥ 1 line of therapy, at least one of which must have included a VEN-containing regimen. 3. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance score 0-2 4. Prior cancer treatment must be completed at least 21 days prior to registration and the subject must have recovered from all reversible acute toxic effects of the regimen (other than alopecia) to ≤ Grade 1 or baseline. i. With the exception of Hydroxyurea; if Hydroxyurea is used to reduce the white blood blast count to \< 25 x 109/L, then it must be discontinued at least 48 hours prior to registration and bone marrow/peripheral blood sampling, and the subject must have recovered from all reversible acute toxic effects to ≤ Grade 1 or baseline. 5. Life expectancy of 6 months or greater as determined by the treating physician. 6. Demonstrate adequate organ function as defined in the table below; all screening labs to be obtained within 28 days prior to registration. System Laboratory Value Renal Creatinine/Calculated creatinine clearance (CrCl) CrCl ≥ 50 mL/min using the Cockcroft-Gault formula Hepatic Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 × upper limit of normal (ULN). Excluding patients diagnosed with Gilbert's syndrome Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≤ 3 × ULN Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤ 3 × ULN 7. Provided written informed consent and HIPAA authorization for release of personal health information, approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB). 8. NOTE: HIPAA authorization may be included in the informed consent or obtained separately. 9. Females of childbearing potential must have a negative serum pregnancy test within 7 days prior to registration. NOTE: Females are considered of child bearing potential unless they are surgically sterile (have undergone a hysterectomy, bilateral tubal ligation, or bilateral oophorectomy) or they have not experienced menstruation for at least 12 consecutive months 10. Females of childbearing potential and males must be willing to use effective contraception during treatment and for at least 30 days after the last dose of Venetoclax. Females will be advised to use effective contraception for at least 6 months after the last dose of omacetaxine and males for at least 3 months after the last dose of omacetaxine. 11. As determined by the enrolling physician or protocol designee, ability of the subject to understand and comply with study procedures for the entire length of the study. 6.2 Exclusion Criteria Subjects meeting any of the criteria below may not participate in the study: 1. Patients with history of prior use of Omacetaxine. 2. White blood cell count \> 25 × 109/L (hydroxyurea permitted to decrease WBC count). 3. History of other malignancies within 1 year prior to study entry, with the exception of: adequately treated in situ carcinoma of the cervix uteri or carcinoma in situ of breast; basal cell carcinoma of the skin or localized squamous cell carcinoma of the skin; previous malignancy confined and surgically resected (or treated with other modalities) with curative intent. 4. Unresolved \> grade 2 DIC. 5. Investigational drug use within 4 weeks of study entry. 6. History of CHF requiring treatment, left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 40%, cardiac insufficiency grade III or IV per New York Heart Association classification (NYHA; see Appendix 2), or chronic stable angina 7. Patients who are HIV positive. 8. Known CNS involvement with AML. 9. Previous hematopoietic stem cell transplant within 2 months. 10. Patients who are positive for hepatitis B or C infection with the exception of those with an undetectable viral load over the prior 3 months. Subjects with serologic evidence of prior vaccination to HBV (i.e., HBs Ag-, and anti-HBs+) may participate. 11. Active uncontrolled infection or severe systemic infection. Enrollment is possible after control of infection, at discretion of the treating physician. 12. Pregnant or breastfeeding (NOTE: breast milk cannot be stored for future use while the mother is being treated on study). 13. Patients who have received strong and/or moderate CYP3A inducers or inhibitors within 7 days prior to the initiation of study treatment unless therapy is deemed necessary by the treating physician. (See Section 8.7.2, Table 3 and Appendix 3). 14. Patients who have consumed grapefruit, grapefruit products, Seville oranges (including marmalade containing Seville oranges) or Starfruit within 3 days prior to the initiation of study treatment. 15. Malabsorption syndrome or other condition that precludes enteral route of administration. 16. Psychological, familial, sociological, or geographical condition that would preclude study compliance and follow-up. 17. Unable or unwilling to undergo a screening bone marrow study. 18. Other severe acute or chronic medical or psychiatric condition, or laboratory abnormality that may increase the risk associated with study participation or investigational product administration or may interfere with the interpretation of study results and, in the judgment of the investigator, would make the patient inappropriate for enrollment in this study. 1\. Age 18-75 years of age at time of consent. 2. Have relapsed/refractory AML (primary or secondary) and have progressed on ≥ 1 line of therapy, at least one of which must have included a VEN-containing regimen. 3\. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance score 0-2 (see Appendix 1). 4\. Prior cancer treatment must be completed at least 21 days prior to registration and the subject must have recovered from all reversible acute toxic effects of the regimen (other than alopecia) to ≤ Grade 1 or baseline. i. With the exception of Hydroxyurea; if Hydroxyurea is used to reduce the white blood blast count to \< 25 x 109/L, then it must be discontinued at least 48 hours prior to registration and bone marrow/peripheral blood sampling, and the subject must have recovered from all reversible acute toxic effects to ≤ Grade 1 or baseline. 5\. Life expectancy of 6 months or greater as determined by the treating physician. 6\. Demonstrate adequate organ function as defined in the table below; all screening labs to be obtained within 28 days prior to registration. System Laboratory Value Renal Creatinine/Calculated creatinine clearance (CrCl) CrCl ≥ 50 mL/min using the Cockcroft-Gault formula Hepatic Bilirubin ≤ 1.5 × upper limit of normal (ULN). Excluding patients diagnosed with Gilbert's syndrome Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≤ 3 × ULN Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤ 3 × ULN 7\. Provided written informed consent and HIPAA authorization for release of personal health information, approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB). 8\. NOTE: HIPAA authorization may be included in the informed consent or obtained separately. 9\. Females of childbearing potential must have a negative serum pregnancy test within 7 days prior to registration. NOTE: Females are considered of child bearing potential unless they are surgically sterile (have undergone a hysterectomy, bilateral tubal ligation, or bilateral oophorectomy) or they have not experienced menstruation for at least 12 consecutive months 10. Females of childbearing potential and males must be willing to use effective contraception during treatment and for at least 30 days after the last dose of Venetoclax. Females will be advised to use effective contraception for at least 6 months after the last dose of omacetaxine and males for at least 3 months after the last dose of omacetaxine. 11\. As determined by the enrolling physician or protocol designee, ability of the subject to understand and comply with study procedures for the entire length of the study. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Patients with history of prior use of Omacetaxine. 2. White blood cell count \> 25 × 109/L (hydroxyurea permitted to decrease WBC count). 3. History of other malignancies within 1 year prior to study entry, with the exception of: adequately treated in situ carcinoma of the cervix uteri or carcinoma in situ of breast; basal cell carcinoma of the skin or localized squamous cell carcinoma of the skin; previous malignancy confined and surgically resected (or treated with other modalities) with curative intent. 4. Unresolved \> grade 2 DIC. 5. Investigational drug use within 4 weeks of study entry. 6. History of CHF requiring treatment, left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 40%, cardiac insufficiency grade III or IV per New York Heart Association classification (NYHA; see Appendix 2), or chronic stable angina 7. Patients who are HIV positive. 8. Known CNS involvement with AML. 9. Previous hematopoietic stem cell transplant within 2 months. 10. Patients who are positive for hepatitis B or C infection with the exception of those with an undetectable viral load over the prior 3 months. Subjects with serologic evidence of prior vaccination to HBV (i.e., HBs Ag-, and anti-HBs+) may participate. 11. Active uncontrolled infection or severe systemic infection. Enrollment is possible after control of infection, at discretion of the treating physician. 12. Pregnant or breastfeeding (NOTE: breast milk cannot be stored for future use while the mother is being treated on study). 13. Patients who have received strong and/or moderate CYP3A inducers or inhibitors within 7 days prior to the initiation of study treatment unless therapy is deemed necessary by the treating physician. (See Section 8.7.2, Table 3 and Appendix 3). 14. Patients who have consumed grapefruit, grapefruit products, Seville oranges (including marmalade containing Seville oranges) or Starfruit within 3 days prior to the initiation of study treatment. 15. Malabsorption syndrome or other condition that precludes enteral route of administration. 16. Psychological, familial, sociological, or geographical condition that would preclude study compliance and follow-up. 17. Unable or unwilling to undergo a screening bone marrow study. 18. Other severe acute or chronic medical or psychiatric condition, or laboratory abnormality that may increase the risk associated with study participation or investigational product administration or may interfere with the interpretation of study results and, in the judgment of the investigator, would make the patient inappropriate for enrollment in this study.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Acute myeloid leukemia 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
-
University of Illinois Cancer Center
Chicago, Illinois, 60612, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can a p53-Targeting drug boost chemotherapy in Hard-to-Treat blood cancers?
- Can an HDAC inhibitor wipe out residual leukemia cells?
- Can an experimental pill block a cancer-driving enzyme in hard-to-treat leukemia?
- Two-Drug combo targets leukemia that outsmarted its first treatment
- Tweaking donor cells may shield older transplant patients from a dangerous complication
- Can a drug and donor cells stop leukemia from returning after transplant?