ASH 2014: AbbVie's venetoclax shows promise in Phase II trial

US drugmaker AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) presented data at the American Society of Hematology’s annual meeting, demonstrating the efficacy of its investigational compound venetoclax in acute myelogenous leukemia.

The venetoclax group in the Phase II study showed an overall response rate of 15.5%, with one patient achieving a complete response (also called complete remission), and four achieving complete response with incomplete blood count recovery.

Gary Gordon, vice president, oncology clinical development at AbbVie, said: “This is the first time we have reported results from the venetoclax Phase II clinical trial in AML. We believe venetoclax’s potential in this indication warrants further investigation. The results from this study and AbbVie’s other abstracts presented during ASH represent the continued progress of our strong blood cancer development program and demonstrate our commitment to discovering innovative treatment options.”