Managing side effects of Asciminib in achieving treatment goals for chronic myelogenous leukemia

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Scemblix (Asciminib) for adults with chronic phase Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia (Ph+CML-CP) who have been previously treated with two or more TKI drugs. Aceminib targets chronic myelogenous leukemia differently than other TKIs by blocking the tyrosine kinase from a different site, which may help patients overcome resistance they may develop to other TKIs.

In a clinical trial of patients who had tried two or more TKIs, nearly twice as many patients achieved a major molecular response (MMR) with aceminib (25%, 40/157) as with Bosulif (13%, 10/76) at 24 weeks. At 96 weeks, nearly 2 years after the start of the trial, 59 of 157 patients (38%) on Asiminib had achieved MMR, compared with 12 of 76 (16%) on Bosulif.

Additionally, three times fewer patients treated with aximinib in clinical trials required to permanently discontinue treatment due to side effects compared with patients takingBosulif (7% vs. 25%). This trend continued for nearly two years from the 96-week trial. Among patients taking Bosulif, 26% (20 of 76 patients) had to stop taking the drug due to side effects, compared with only 8% (12 of 156 patients) of patients taking Asiminib. In this clinical trial, the most common side effects of aceminib (20%) were nose/throat infection, muscle, bone, or joint pain, headache, and fatigue.