The NEUF study is a project led by Amgen and the main objective of this project is to know the results of the use of blinatumomab as part of compassionate use therapy in real clinical practice. This NEUF study has two big parts: one on the use of blinatumomab in Philadelphia chromosome negative patients and the other is in the Philadelphia chromosome positive ALL patients. This is the abstract that will be presented by Sabina Chiaretti in the EHA meeting.

In a cohort of adult patients with Philadelphia positive ALL in the situation of relapsed/refractory the use of blinatumomab was associated with a high level of complete response, about 50%, and this has translated to a pretty good rate of molecular response, that is an important objective in any ALL, and of course in Philadelphia positive ALL, of about 75-80%.

The side effects were the same as expected and as seen in the clinical trial, the ALCANTARA clinical trial, that included similar patients with Ph ALL. At the end the number of patients with complete hematologic response, complete molecular response, the feasibility of allogeneic stem cell transplantation and the overall survival were absolutely superimposable to the data obtained in the phase II clinical trial ALCANTARA.

So the main message of the NEUF study for Ph ALL is that in real clinical practice the results of blinatumomab for relapsed refractory Ph ALL are superimposable to those obtained in the phase II clinical trial. This is a very good message for our daily clinical practice.