BACKGROUND: Covalent Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors have advanced the treatment of Waldenström macroglobulinaemia; however, the occurrence of progression, intolerance, and acquired resistance are not fully understood. We aim to report on the safety and activity of pirtobrutinib (a highly selective, non-covalent BTK inhibitor) in patients with relapsed or refractory Waldenström macroglobulinaemia, including those who received previous covalent BTK inhibitors as part of the phase 1/2 BRUIN trial. METHODS: The BRUIN study was an open-label, multicentre, phase 1/2 trial that enrolled patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell malignancies from 29 sites across eight countries. Patients aged 18 years or older who previously received BTK inhibitor-containing regimens, had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2, and histologically confirmed Waldenström macroglobulinaemia were eligible. In phase 1, patients received 100-300 mg oral pirtobrutinib once a day in 28-day cycles and the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) of 200 mg pirtobrutinib once a day was determined. The phase 2 primary endpoint was antitumour activity of pirtobrutinib based on objective response rate as assessed by an investigator in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, small lymphocytic leukaemia, or mantle cell lymphoma. In patients with Waldenström macroglobulinaemia, response was evaluated using the Sixth International Workshop on Waldenström Macroglobulinemia (IWWM-6) criteria. BRUIN is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03740529 (completed). FINDINGS: BRUIN recruited patients from Aug 12, 2019, to March 14, 2022, and 778 patients received pirtobrutinib. 80 patients had relapsed or refractory Waldenström macroglobulinaemia (n=18 in phase 1 and n=62 in phase 2), with a median age of 68·5 years (IQR 61·0-75·0). 52 (65%) patients were male and 28 (35%) were female. The median number of previous lines of systemic therapy was 3·0 (2·0-5·0). 63 (79%) patients received previous covalent BTK inhibitors. 73 (91%) received 200 mg pirtobrutinib once per day (the RP2D). Using IWWM-6 criteria, the objective response rate was 82·5% (95% CI 72·4-90·1), with one (1·3%) patient reaching complete response, eight (10·0%) reaching very good partial response, 49 (61·3%) reaching partial response, and eight (10·0%) reaching minor response. The median study follow-up was 35·0 months (17·7-47·7). The objective response rate was 81·0% (69·1-89·8) for those who received previous covalent BTK inhibitors and 88·2% (63·6-98·5) for covalent BTK inhibitor-naive patients. Grade 3 or higher treatment-emergent adverse events occurred in 57 (71%) patients, with the most common being neutropenia or neutrophil count decreased (15 19%) and anaemia (19 24%). Treatment-emergent deaths were reported in five (6%) patients (bacterial sepsis, intracranial haemorrhage, COVID-19 pneumonia, hypertensive cardiomegaly and pneumonia n=1 each unrelated to treatment, and treatment-related necrotising pneumonia n=1). Treatment-emergent adverse events leading to dose reductions occurred in four (5%) patients and pirtobrutinib discontinuation in 12 (15%). INTERPRETATION: Pirtobrutinib was highly active and well tolerated, regardless of previous exposure to covalent BTK inhibitors, and might be a promising new therapeutic option for patients with relapsed or refractory Waldenström macroglobulinaemia, particularly in those previously exposed to covalent BTK inhibitors, for whom durable and effective treatments are needed. FUNDING: Eli Lilly and Company.
Palomba et al. (Fri,) studied this question.