Dr Valentin Goede presents data during a press conference at the 2013 ASH Annual Meeting about a obinutuzumab (GA101) plus chlorambucil (Clb) versus rituximab plus Clb in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and co-existing medical conditions.

A commonly used combination treatment for CLL today consists of chemotherapy and rituximab, a synthetic molecule engineered to target a protein on the surface of CLL cells (CD20). While effective, rituximab has less potency in CLL than in other cancers, and chemotherapy used in combination with rituximab may not be well tolerated among elderly patients. In an effort to improve treatment options for CLL patients, investigators conducted a head-to-head comparison of rituximab and obinutuzumab (GA101), a novel monoclonal antibody engineered to attack CD20, but hypothesized to have more potent anti-leukaemic effects.