Novartis releases detail on asciminib's better-than-Bosulif CML data

Swiss pharma giant Novartis (NOVN: VX) has presented detailed results on its investigational STAMP inhibitor asciminib’s comparison with Pfizer’s (NYSE: PFE) Bosulif (bosutinib) at the 62nd American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting & Exposition (ASH).

Asciminib showed a superior major molecular response (MMR) rate to Bosulif in patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in chronic phase (Ph+ CML-CP) previously treated with two or more tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKIs), in the Phase III ASCEMBL trial.

At 24 weeks, asciminib nearly doubled the MMR rate compared to Bosulif (bosutinib) according to data that, Novartis says, further reinforce the potential of asciminib to help patients with CML who suffer from intolerable side effects in later lines of therapy.