The initial treatment for CLL has seen remarkable progress, particularly with targeted therapies that offer better outcomes and fewer side effects compared to traditional chemotherapy. 

Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors, such as ibrutinib and acalabrutinib, and the BCL-2 inhibitor, venetoclax, have become the cornerstone of CLL initial treatment. However, investigators are still working on ways to improve them further, testing different administration schedules and combinations with other agents. 

What are Some of the New CLL Treatments? 

As of September 2024, there are over 100 interventional clinical trials in the US recruiting patients with CLL that investigate the use of new treatments and combinations: 

• Fixed-duration therapies: These include varied combinations of venetoclax, obinutuzumab, and BTK inhibitors, aiming to provide effective treatment over a set period.
• Continuous-duration therapies: These include non-covalent BTK inhibitors like nemtabrutinib and BTK degraders such as NX-2127 and BGB-16673, which aim to provide ongoing control of the disease.
• CD20/CD3 bispecific antibodies: Medicines like mosunetuzumab and epcoritamab engage the immune system to attack CLL cells.
• Newer BCL-2 inhibitors: Sonrotoclax is being tested as a potential new option for targeting CLL cells.
• MALT1 inhibitors: ABBV-525 is an example of a new class of drugs targeting the MALT1 protein, which plays a role in CLL cell survival.

You can use HealthTree’s Clinical Trial Finder to explore which trials are available close to you.