The Mechanism of Action of Ibrutinib

Craig L. Tendler, MD, vice president, Late Development and Global Medical Affairs for Oncology, Janssen Oncology, discusses the mechanism of action of ibrutinib in various tumor types.

Ibrutinib works effectively in patients with B-cell malignancies because it targets Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK), a protein that is right in the middle of the B-cell receptor signaling pathway, Tendler says. Targeting this protein is crucial in disrupting cell growth.

High response rates have been seen in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and mantle cell lymphoma treated with single-agent ibrutinib, Tendler says. Patients with poor prognosis, such as patients with 17p deletion in CLL who typically have no other treatment options, are also responding well to ibrutinib, Tendler says.

Clinical Pearls

• Ibrutinib disrupts the growth signal by targeting BTK in patients with B-cell malignancies
• Ibrutinib may work in other patients because evidence suggests the BTK signaling pathway is evident in the early action of other tumor types
• Patients with CLL or mantle cell lymphoma have responded well to ibrutinib