ASCO: Asciminib Outperforms TKIs in Newly Diagnosed Leukemia

A recent study has highlighted the effectiveness and safety of asciminib for patients with newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) compared to commonly used tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Published online on May 31 in the New England Journal of Medicine, the study's release coincided with the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, which took place from May 31 to June 4 in Chicago.

The research, led by Dr. Andreas Hochhaus from Universitätsklinikum Jena and Comprehensive Cancer Center Central Germany, involved a randomized assignment of patients into two groups: one receiving asciminib and the other taking an investigator-selected TKI, which included imatinib and other second-generation TKIs. The study involved 201 patients in the asciminib group and 204 patients in the TKI group, with a median follow-up duration of 16.3 and 15.7 months respectively.

Results at the 48-week mark showed a significant difference in major molecular response rates between the two groups. In the asciminib group, 67.7% of patients achieved a major molecular response, compared to 49.0% in the TKI group. When breaking down the results further, within the imatinib subgroup, asciminib showed a 69.3% response rate versus 40.2% for imatinib. For the second-generation TKI subgroup, asciminib had a response rate of 66.0%, compared to 57.8% for the other TKIs.

The study also reported fewer severe adverse events and lower discontinuation rates due to adverse events for those taking asciminib in comparison to those on imatinib and second-generation TKIs. This indicates that not only is asciminib more effective, but it also has a better safety profile.

The authors pointed out the necessity for long-term follow-up to fully understand the benefits of asciminib for newly diagnosed CML patients. However, the data thus far, with a median follow-up of approximately 1.5 years, suggests that asciminib offers superior efficacy and a more favorable safety and side-effect profile compared to the investigator-selected TKIs and specifically imatinib.

It is important to note that several of the study's authors have disclosed financial connections to pharmaceutical companies, including Novartis, which manufactures asciminib and provided funding for the study. This disclosure highlights the importance of considering potential conflicts of interest when interpreting the study's results.