Ibrutinib Plus Rituximab for cGVHD Following Allo-SCT

Summary

Allogeneic stem cell transplant is used to treat a variety of blood cancers. However, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a common condition that may occur after transplant. GVHD happens when the donor cells attack and damage the recipients' tissue. The standard medication to treat chronic graft-versus-host-disease (cGVHD) is corticosteroids. However, there are long-term side effects of steroid therapy, including risk of infection, bone loss and other health problems. In addition, some patients with cGVHD do not respond to standard steroid therapy. In these cases, medications to suppress the immune system may be used. The purpose of this study is to learn about the effects, both good and bad, of combining the drugs ibrutinib and rituximab for the treatment of cGVHD. Ibrutinib is Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved for the treatment of cGVHD which has not responded to steroid therapy. Rituximab is an investigational drug, which means it is not FDA approved for this particular use. Rituximab is currently approved for treatment of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL), Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), and other conditions, but is not FDA approved for the treatment of cGVHD. However, rituximab has been used in a clinic setting for the treatment of cGVHD in a number of patients over the past few years, and has generally been well tolerated and shown some benefit. The combination of ibrutinib and rituximab is being studied in the treatment of certain types of lymphoma and chronic leukemia, but it has not yet been combined for patients with cGVHD. Because ibrutinib is not approved for this use when combined with rituximab, it is considered investigational in this study. In this form, the term "study drug" refers to ibrutinib and rituximab. This study will involve people who have chronic GVHD, have previously taken corticosteroids, and have either not benefited from treatment with corticosteroids or have been unable to successfully taper off steroids.

Timeline

Start

2019-04-11

Primary completion

2021-09-20

Completion

2021-09-20

Publications

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