Expert Highlights Ongoing Research of Pirtobrutinib in MCL

Michael Wang, MD, Puddin Clarke endowed professor of lymphoma and myeloma at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses where future research efforts for pirtobrutinib (Jaypirca) will be focused following the phase 1/2 BRUIN trial (NCT03740529) and phase 3 BRUIN MCL-321 trial (NCT04662255) in patients with relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

Previously in January 2023, the FDA approved pirtobrutinib for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed/refractory MCL who previously received at least 2 lines of systemic therapy, including a Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor. The regulatory decision was supported by data from the phase 1/2 BRUIN trial in which covalent BTK inhibitor pre-treated patients with relapsed/refractory MCL achieved an overall response rate of 50% with pirtobrutinib, and 13% of patients achieved a complete response (CR) at time of analysis.

Pirtobrutinib is the first BTK inhibitor of any kind to be approved for this patient population with MCL treated with a prior covalent BTK inhibitor.
Now, Wang explains that investigators continue to evaluate pirtobrutinib. The agent is currently being researched in combination with other agents, including with venetoclax (Venclexta) and rituximab (Rituxan).

Transcription:

0:10 | I really think that for pirtobrutinib, a phase 3 clinical trial is only the first step. In the meantime, pirtobrutinib’s usage is being explored in combinations, such as in combination with venetoclax, rituximab, and in [other] combinations.

0:35 | In the future, I think that pirtobrutinib will be studied as maintenance close to chimeric antigen receptor [CAR] T, will be studied after CAR T failures, will be used as a bridging therapy before CAR T, so bispecific antibodies, and it can be combined with not only targeted therapies, but also with immunotherapies such as bispecific or trispecific antibodies or CAR T-cell therapies. [A] phase 3 study is the first step, but other steps are progressing concurrently.