Ascentage, Acerta to evaluate APG-2575, CALQUENCE combo in r/r CLL/SLL

Ascentage Pharma has entered into a clinical collaboration with Acerta Pharma, the hematology research and development center of excellence of AstraZeneca to assess the combination of Bcl-2 and Bruton’s Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) inhibitors in a type of lymphoma.

As per the collaboration terms, Ascentage Pharma will sponsor a clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the combination of its selective Bcl-2 inhibitor APG-2575, and Acerta Pharma’s BTK inhibitor CALQUENCE (acalabrutinib) in patients having relapsed/refractory (r/r) chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL).

The global, multicenter, open-label phase 1b/2 dose-escalation and dose-expansion study will aim to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and anticancer activity of APG-2575 as a single agent or in combination with CALQUENCE in patients with r/r CLL/SLL. The study has been initiated already in the US with the dosing of the first patient and is intended to be expanded in Europe, and Australia.

Dr. Dajun Yang – Chairman and CEO of Ascentage Pharma said: “We are delighted to enter this collaboration with Acerta. APG-2575 is a key drug candidate in our development pipeline targeting apoptosis, with great potential in the treatment of hematologic malignancies. Collaborating with Acerta helps to accelerate our global clinical development program for APG-2575.

“Combination therapy is becoming more important in cancer treatment, and the rationale of a Bcl-2 inhibitor combined with a BTK inhibitor is sound. We hope that APG-2575 combined with CALQUENCE will show synergistic effects in the treatment of CLL/SLL, offering additional treatment options for patients with otherwise limited treatment options around the world.”