Calquence vs Imbruvica

Calquence (acalabrutinib) is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL). Regulatory review documents for Calquence reported an Overall Response Rate (ORR) of 83-84% for acalabrutinib monotherapy in del 17p/TP53-mutated disease, compared to an ORR of 56% in the control arm. The median Progression-Free Survival (PFS) was reported as not reached.

Imbruvica (ibrutinib) is indicated for the treatment of patients with Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia (WM), adult patients with chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD) after failure of one or more lines of systemic therapy, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in various settings. Regulatory review documents for Imbruvica reported an Overall Response Rate (CR+VGPR+PR) per IRRC assessment of 61.9% with a 95% CI of 49%, 74%. The median duration of Imbruvica exposure in CLL Study 2 was 8.6 months, compared to 5.3 months for ofatumumab exposure in the same study.

It is important to note that these drugs were studied in separate trials with different designs, patient populations, and timepoints. The endpoints, comparators, and study durations varied between the trials. Therefore, the figures presented are not head-to-head comparisons, and neither drug is presented as superior to the other.