Idelalisib for the Treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia/Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma

ABSTRACT

Idelalisib is a first-in-class selective oral PI3Kδ inhibitor for the treatment of patients with relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic lymphoma, a predominantly elderly population with high comorbidity. The drug promotes apoptosis in primary CLL cells ex vivo, independent of common prognostic markers and inhibits CLL cell homing, migration and adhesion to cells in the microenvironment. Idelalisib has shown efficacy with acceptable safety as monotherapy and combination therapy in relapsed/refractory CLL. Idelalisib has clinical activity in patients with CLL with del(17p). The development of other novel B-cell-targeted agents provides the opportunity to evaluate additional idelalisib treatment combinations for their potential to further improve outcomes in CLL/small lymphocytic lymphoma.

KEYWORDS:

• B-cell receptor
• chronic lymphocytic leukemia
• idelalisib
• kinase inhibitor
• PI3K
• small lymphocytic lymphoma

Disclaimer

Gilead did not contribute to, review, edit or comment on this manuscript.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

JC Barrientos’ work is supported in part by NIH/National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences grant #UL1TR00457, the 2015 American Society of Hematology–Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program fellowship and philanthropic contributions from the Karches Foundation, Jerome Levy Foundation, Leon Levy Foundation and the Frank and Mildred Feinberg Family. She has received institutional research support from Pharmacyclics, AbbVie Inc. and Gilead Sciences, Inc. The author has no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Editorial assistance for the development of this manuscript was provided by J Coleman, MA, medical writer at C4 MedSolutions, LLC (Yardley, PA), a CHC Group company, with funding from Gilead Sciences.