A Study of Nemtabrutinib Plus Venetoclax vs Venetoclax + Rituximab (VR) in Second-line (2L) + Relapsed/​Refractory (R/​R) Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia/​Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (CLL/​SLL) (MK-1026-010/​BELLWAVE-010).

NCT 05947851

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and tolerability and to confirm the dose of nemtabrutinib in combination with venetoclax in participants with R/R CLL/SLL. The primary study hypotheses are that the combination of nemtabrutinib plus venetoclax is superior to VR with respect to progression-free survival (PFS) per 2018 International Workshop on Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (iwCLL) criteria as assessed by blinded independent central review (BICR).

Intervention / Treatment 

  • Drug: Nemtabrutinib
  • Drug: Venetoclax
  • Biological: Rituximab

Inclusion Criteria

  • Confirmed diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) and active disease clearly documented to initiate therapy.
  • Deletion (Del) (17p) status, tumor protein 53 (TP53) mutation status, immunoglobulin heavy chain gene (IGHV) mutation status and Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK)-C481 mutation status results required before randomization for Part 2 participants only.
  • Relapsed or refractory to at least 1 prior available therapy.
  • Have at least 1 marker of disease burden.
  • Has an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 to 2 within 7 days before randomization.
  • Has a life expectancy of at least 3 months.
  • Has the ability to swallow and retain oral medication.
  • Participants who are hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive are eligible if they have received hepatitis B virus (HBV) antiviral therapy for at least 4 weeks and have undetectable HBV deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) viral load before randomization.
  • Participants with history of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are eligible if HCV ribonucleic acid (RNA) viral load is undetectable at screening.
  • Participants with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who meet ALL eligibility criteria.
  • Participants with adequate organ function with specimens collected within 7 days before the start of study intervention.
  • If capable of producing sperm, participant agrees to eliminate Nemtabrutinib: 12 days, Venetoclax: 1 month (30 days), Rituximab (rituximab biosimilar): not applicable; abstains from penile-vaginal intercourse as their preferred and usual lifestyle; OR uses prescribed contraception.
  • Participant assigned female sex at birth are eligible to participate if not pregnant or breastfeeding and are not a person of childbearing potential (POCBP) OR is a POCBP and uses a contraceptive method that is highly effective, has a negative highly sensitive pregnancy test, and abstains from breastfeeding.

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