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FDA approves Roche leukaemia treatment

Roche obtains FDA approval to treat a form of leukaemia
Roche obtains FDA approval to treat a form of leukaemia Keystone-SDA

Genentech, a US subsidiary of Roche, has obtained approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL).

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The combination of Venclexta (venetoclax) with acalabrutinib may be offered to patients suffering from this slowly progressing form of blood cancer, Genentech said on Friday.

The new treatment regimen gives patients another option in addition to the established treatment of Venclexta and Gazyva. What’s more, the new combination is a time-limited therapy and the drugs are administered orally only.

According to a phase III clinical trial, the new treatment works better than chemotherapy, reducing the risk of disease progression and death by 35% compared with chemotherapy.

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is the most common form of leukaemia in adults. It is estimated that 22,760 new cases will be diagnosed in the United States in 2026.

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