Dive Brief:
- Imbruvica (ibrutinib) has been approved for the treatment of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in patients who have received at least one previous therapy and as first-line treatment in patients with 17p or TP53 chromosomal abnormalities.
- Imbruvica is a first-in-call, oral Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor.
- Imbruvica was approved by the FDA for treatment of MCL in November 2013, and for treatment of CLL in July.
Dive Insight:
The likelihood of Imbruvica not being approved in any market is slim, especially considering how difficult it is to treat both MCL and CLL with 17p deletion. Before Imbruvica became available, survival rates were low, as these cancers tend to progress and spread rapidly.
Not only does this approval represent a breakthrough for treatment of blood cancers, but also for the acceptance of and reliance on personalized medicine.