AbbVie announced that its global Phase 3 VERONA trial evaluating venetoclax in combination with azacitidine for newly diagnosed higher-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (HR-MDS) failed to meet its primary endpoint of overall survival. The trial recorded a hazard ratio of 0.908 with a stratified log-rank p-value of 0.3772, indicating no statistically significant improvement in survival outcomes compared to the control arm.
The pharmaceutical company reported that no new safety signals were observed during the study, and emphasized that these results do not affect any of venetoclax's currently approved indications. Patients who participated in the MDS clinical trials and received the venetoclax-azacitidine combination will be informed of the results by their treating physicians.
Trial Design and Objectives
VERONA was designed as a global Phase 3 randomized, controlled trial comparing the efficacy and safety of venetoclax combined with azacitidine against azacitidine plus placebo in patients with newly diagnosed higher-risk myelodysplastic syndrome. The study's primary outcome measure focused on overall survival, while key secondary endpoints included modified overall response and complete remission rates.
The trial represents part of AbbVie's broader oncology strategy to expand venetoclax's therapeutic applications beyond its established indications. The company has been investigating the BCL-2 inhibitor across multiple blood cancer types, building on its mechanism of action that selectively targets the B-cell lymphoma-2 protein to restore natural cancer cell death processes.
Venetoclax's Current Market Position
Despite the VERONA trial setback, venetoclax maintains its position as a first-in-class medicine approved in more than 80 countries, including the United States. The drug is currently indicated for treating adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma, either as monotherapy or in combination with other agents.
Additionally, venetoclax is approved in combination with azacitidine, decitabine, or low-dose cytarabine for treating adults with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia who are 75 years of age or older, or who have medical conditions preventing the use of standard chemotherapy regimens.
Development Partnership and Future Plans
Venetoclax is being developed through a collaboration between AbbVie and Roche, with joint commercialization handled by AbbVie and Genentech in the United States, and by AbbVie in international markets. The companies have committed to continued BCL-2 research and are studying venetoclax across several blood cancers and other malignancies.
AbbVie indicated that complete results from the VERONA trial will be made available through future medical congress presentations or peer-reviewed publications. The company continues to evaluate more than 20 investigational medicines across multiple clinical trials targeting various widespread and debilitating cancers as part of its expansive oncology portfolio.
The failed trial highlights the challenges inherent in extending successful cancer treatments to new indications, even when the underlying mechanism of action appears promising. Myelodysplastic syndromes represent a group of clonal hematopoietic disorders characterized by ineffective blood cell production, and higher-risk forms carry significant morbidity and mortality burdens for patients.
