A trial looking at ponatinib for people with newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukaemia (EPIC)

This trial was looking at ponatinib for people with newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) that is Philadelphia chromosome positive. It was for people whose CML was stable and developing slowly (chronic phase).

Most people with CML have a change (mutation ) to a gene. Doctors call this being Philadelphia positive. It affects a protein called BCR-ABL, which signals to the body to make too many white blood cells.

The main treatment for CML is imatinib. Imatinib is a biological therapy called a cancer growth blocker. It blocks the signals that cancer cells use to divide and grow.

Ponatinib is also a biological therapy that is a cancer growth blocker. It works in a very similar way to imatinib.

We knew from research that ponatinib could work for people with CML that had come back while having treatment with other cancer growth blockers, or after having had treatment with them. The researchers thought that it may work well for newly diagnosed people who had not had treatment.  

The aims of this trial were to find out

• How well ponatinib works for newly diagnosed people with CML
• How safe ponatinib is for these people
• How ponatinib affects their quality of life