Pharmacyclics Inc. (PCYC) said an independent data monitoring
committee recommended that a late-stage study of its Imbruvica drug
be unblinded based on significant benefits seen in the leukemia and
lymphoma patients that received the drug.
Earlier this month, AbbVie Inc. reached a $21 billion
cash-and-stock deal for Pharmacyclics, an acquisition that would
give AbbVie a presence in the multibillion-dollar blood-cancer
market, and lessen its reliance on an aging rheumatoid-arthritis
drug that accounts for most of its sales.
Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Pharmacyclics said Monday that Imbruvica
in combination with other treatments bendamustine and rituximab met
its primary endpoints for improvement in progression-free survival
in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic
lymphoma.
Imbruvica's strong efficacy against a form of leukemia and other
diseases had attracted fierce bidding for Pharmacyclics from
AbbVie, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer Inc., The Wall Street
Journal has reported.
On Monday, Danelle James, head of oncology at Pharmacyclics,
stated that the Imbruvica "results build upon early results in the
Phase I/II program and are very encouraging as we continue to
explore the benefits Imbruvica provides to patients when it is
combined with other treatments."
Shares of Pharmacyclics rose 0.6% to $256.59.
Pharmacyclics sells Imbruvica with partner Johnson &
Johnson. Imbruvica has been approved for two blood cancers--a rare
lymphoma and a form of leukemia. In January, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration greenlighted Imbruvica's use for a rare form of
cancer affecting the immune system.
Write to Tess Stynes at tess.stynes@wsj.com
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