Efficacy and Safety of Ublituximab in Combination with Umbralisib (U2) in Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) By Treatment Status: A Sub-Analysis of the Phase 3 Unity-CLL Study

Abstract

Background: Umbralisib, a selective PI3Kδ and casein kinase-1epsilon (CK1ε) inhibitor, is pharmacologically distinct from other PI3K inhibitors and is administered orally once daily. Ublituximab is a novel anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody glycoengineered for enhanced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity that targets a unique epitope on CD20. The primary analysis of the randomized, multicenter, Phase 3 UNITY-CLL trial (NCT02612311) demonstrated that the umbralisib+ublituximab (U2) combination prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) compared to chemoimmunotherapy in both treatment-naïve (TN) and previously treated (PT) populations (Gribben et al. 2020). Herein, results are presented for patients treated with U2 by treatment status.Methods: Patients ≥18 years of age with TN or PT CLL requiring treatment, per iwCLL criteria with adequate organ function and ECOG PS ≤2, were eligible. Patients were initially randomized 1:1:1:1 to receive U2, obinutuzumab+chlorambucil (O+Chl), umbralisib monotherapy, or ublituximab monotherapy. Stratification factors included treatment status (treatment-naïve vs. previously treated) and deletion 17p status.Umbralisib was administered orally at 800 mg once daily until progression or removal from treatment for other reasons. Ublituximab was administered intravenously at 900 mg on Days 1/2 [split 150/750 mg], 8, and 15 of Cycle 1, Day 1 of Cycles 2 - 6, and on Day 1 every 3 cycles after Cycle 6. The primary endpoint was independent review committee (IRC)-assessed PFS of U2 compared to O+Chl. Key secondary endpoints included IRC-assessed overall response rate (ORR), complete response, undetectable minimal residual disease (uMRD), duration of response, and safety, assessed from the first dose until 30 days after the last dose of study medication. While the primary analysis reported results for the pooled intent-to-treat population, the current analysis focuses on outcomes in patients treated with U2 by treatment status.Results: At data cut-off date of May 1, 2020, U2-treated patients had a median follow-up of 35.27 months. Of the 210 patients treated with U2, 119 were TN and 91 were PT. TN patients had a median age of 68 years (39 - 88 years) and 63% were male. Median PFS for U2 in TN patients was 38.5 mos (95% CI, 33.2, NE) with an estimated 24-mo PFS rate of 76.6%. IRC-assessed ORR was 84.0% (95% CI, 77.5%-90.6%). The median duration of exposure to umbralisib and ublituximab was 26.5 and 29.5 mos, respectively. In TN patients, AEs of special interest (AESI) of grade ≥3 included: neutropenia (24.1%), diarrhea (13.8%), ALT increased (12.1%), AST increased (7.8%), non-infectious colitis (2.6%), infusion-related reaction (IRR, 0.9%), and pneumonitis (0.9%). Discontinuation of either study drug due to these grade ≥3 AESI occurred in 5.2% (neutropenia), 2.6% (diarrhea), 3.4% (ALT increase), 1.7% (AST increase), 1.7% (colitis), 0.9% (IRR), and 0.9% (pneumonitis) of patients.PT patients had a median of 2 prior (1 - 9) lines of therapy, the median age was 65 years (43 - 87 years) and 65.9% were male. Median PFS was 19.5 mos (95% CI, 14.6-27.7) with an estimated 24-mo PFS rate of 41.3%. The IRC-assessed ORR was 82.4% (95% CI, 74.6%-90.2%). Among 14 patients previously treated with ibrutinib, the ORR was 57%. The median duration of exposure to umbralisib and ublituximab were 15.6 mos and 14.6 mos, respectively. In PT patients, AESI of grade ≥3 included: neutropenia (40.0%), diarrhea (10.0%), IRR (3.3%), ALT increase (3.3%), AST increase (2.2%), and non-infectious colitis (2.2%). Discontinuation of either study drug due to these grade ≥3 AESI occurred in 1.1% (ALT increase), 1.1% (AST increase), and 1.1% (colitis) of patients.Conclusions: U2 demonstrated a tolerable safety profile in both the TN and PT populations. These results mark the first randomized Phase 3 trial of a PI3K in TN CLL, establishing a new mechanism of action in this setting.