Study to Assess Enzastaurin + R-CHOP in Subjects With DLBCL With the Genomic Biomarker DGM1™
![]() |
The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Know the risks and potential benefits of clinical studies and talk to your health care provider before participating. Read our disclaimer for details. |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03263026 |
Recruitment Status :
Recruiting
First Posted : August 28, 2017
Last Update Posted : April 19, 2019
|
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
---|---|---|
Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma | Drug: Enzastaurin Hydrochloride Other: R-CHOP + placebo | Phase 3 |

Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common of the Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas, accounting for between 30%-40% of all cases. The incidence of DLBCL generally increases with age and roughly half of all patients are over the age of 60 at the time of diagnosis.
DLBCL is classified as an aggressive lymphoma meaning that its clinical course can progress rapidly to death. Nevertheless, patients with DLBCL can be cured with the appropriate treatment. The current standard of care treatment for DLBCL consists of rituximab added to the anthracycline-containing combination chemotherapy regimen of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (NCCN Treatment Guidelines). This regimen is referred to as R-CHOP immunochemotherapy. For DLBCL as a whole, R-CHOP immunochemotherapy has resulted in cure rates of approximately 60%. However, for individual patients 5-year survival rates can range from 90% for low-risk patients to less than 50% for high-risk patients.
Most important, for those subjects refractory to R-CHOP therapy less than 10% achieve a durable remission with secondary therapy. Thus, while R-CHOP remains the standard treatment for high-risk, advanced-stage DLBCL, approximately 30-40% of patients fail front-line therapy with most not achieving complete response or with early relapse. An essential step to move forward and improve the outcomes of these patients is to increase the rate of complete response to front-line R-CHOP therapy.
For this reason, there has been a great deal of effort placed on attempting to define disease characteristics that predispose patients to a poorer prognosis with R-CHOP therapy. Molecular and gene expression profiling of tumors and a variety of clinical prognostic indices have been used to identify patients at higher risk of failing R-CHOP immunochemotherapy. While this work has identified subgroups of patients who do not respond well to R-CHOP, to date these efforts have not resulted in substantial gains in response to front-line therapy.
Denovo Biopharma (Denovo) has pioneered an alternative approach to this challenging problem. Denovo has developed a model that employs sophisticated pharmacogenomic testing to detect somatic biomarkers that identify those subjects who responded to a particular study treatment with the aim of re-studying the drug of interest, in this case enzastaurin, in an enriched population.
Applying this technology to archived DNA samples from completed studies of enzastaurin in subjects with DLBCL, Denovo has identified a somatic biomarker that reliably identified subjects for whom the study treatment significantly prolonged survival. Enzastaurin is an oral serine/threonine kinase inhibitor, that targets the PKC, and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and AKT pathways to inhibit tumor cell proliferation, induce tumor cell apoptosis, and suppress tumor-induced angiogenesis.
The purpose of the current study is to prospectively assess the effect on survival of adding enzastaurin to R-CHOP immunochemotherapy in the front-line treatment of an enriched population of subjects with DLBCL.
Enzastaurin, an acyclic bisindolylmaleimide, is a potent and selective inhibitor of PKC-beta. At plasma concentrations achieved clinically, enzastaurin and its metabolites suppress signaling not only through PKC, but also through the PI3K/AKT pathway; these pathways promote tumor-induced angiogenesis, as well as tumor cell survival and proliferation. Accordingly, inhibition of signaling pathways by enzastaurin suppresses the phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3-beta) at ser9, induces cell death (apoptosis), and suppresses proliferation in cultured cell lines from human colon cancers, glioblastoma and lymphomas. Oral dosing with enzastaurin to achieve exposure levels similar to that in human clinical studies suppresses vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced angiogenesis and the growth of human colon cancer and glioblastoma xenografts. These studies have demonstrated that enzastaurin can suppress tumor growth through multiple mechanisms: the direct effect of inducing tumor cell death, suppressing tumor cell proliferation, and the indirect effect of suppressing tumor-induced angiogenesis.
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Estimated Enrollment : | 235 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Intervention Model Description: | Subjects will be randomly assigned to receive one of the following: R-CHOP plus enzastaurin or R-CHOP plus placebo, during two treatment periods: induction and maintenance. Induction phase: all subjects will receive R-CHOP for up to six, 21-day cycles. Subjects in the enzastaurin arm will receive a 1125 mg loading dose on Day 2 followed by 500 mg daily. Subjects in the placebo arm will take an identical number of tablets. After 4-<6 cycles of induction therapy treatment assignment will be unblinded. Subjects in the enzastaurin arm who have achieved a response will have the opportunity to continue in the single-agent, maintenance phase of the study, and will receive single-agent enzastaurin at 500 mg/day for up to 2 years. Eligible subjects must begin the maintenance phase of the study within 6 weeks of completing induction therapy. |
Masking: | Triple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator) |
Masking Description: | Denovo Biopharma, the study Sponsor, will also be blinded. |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | A Randomized Phase 3 Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Enzastaurin Plus R-CHOP Versus R-CHOP in Treatment-Naive Subjects With High-Risk Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Who Possess the Novel Genomic Biomarker DGM1™ |
Actual Study Start Date : | March 20, 2018 |
Estimated Primary Completion Date : | October 2020 |
Estimated Study Completion Date : | September 2021 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
---|---|
Active Comparator: R-CHOP + enzastaurin hydrochloride
Subjects in the R-CHOP + enzastaurin Arm will receive R-CHOP (Rituximab-375 mg/m2 i.v., Cyclophosphamide-750 mg/m2 i.v., Doxorubicin-50 mg/m2 i.v., Vincristine-1.4 mg/m2 i.v. (2 mg max), and Prednisone-100 mg p.o.), as directed, plus a 1125 mg loading dose of enzastaurin on Day 2 followed by 500 mg daily.
|
Drug: Enzastaurin Hydrochloride
R-CHOP + Enzastaurin (Kinenza®) 125 mg
Other Name: Kinenza® |
Placebo Comparator: R-CHOP + placebo
Subjects in the R-CHOP + placebo Arm will receive R-CHOP (Rituximab-375 mg/m2 i.v., Cyclophosphamide-750 mg/m2 i.v., Doxorubicin-50 mg/m2 i.v., Vincristine-1.4 mg/m2 i.v. (2 mg max), and Prednisone-100 mg p.o.), as directed, plus an identical number of tablets as the subjects in the enzastaurin Arm.
|
Other: R-CHOP + placebo
R-CHOP + placebo
Other Name: Placebo |
- Overall survival in subjects who possess the DGM1™ biomarker [ Time Frame: 3.5 years ]The primary objective of this study is to compare the effect of R-CHOP/enzastaurin versus R-CHOP alone on overall survival in treatment naive, high-risk subjects with DLBCL who possess the DGM1™ biomarker.
- Overall survival in subjects who do not possess the DGM1™ biomarker [ Time Frame: 3.5 years ]A secondary objective of this study is to compare the effect of R-CHOP/enzastaurin versus R-CHOP alone on overall survival in treatment naive, high-risk subjects with DLBCL who do not possess the DGM1™ biomarker.
- Safety of enzastaurin by assessing incidence of adverse events/serious adverse events, change of vital signs, ECG results, lab results, and physical exam findings from baseline [ Time Frame: 3.5 years ]
The safety analysis will include the following:
- Summary of extent of exposure
- Summary of the number of blood transfusions required
- Summary of adverse events, serious adverse events, and subjects discontinuing for adverse events rates
- Summary of laboratory findings and change from baseline
- Summary of QTc data and change from baseline according to ICH E14
- Summary of other relevant safety observations
- Listings of laboratory and non-laboratory adverse events by maximum CTCAE grade and relationship to study drug using CTCAE v4.03
- Presence of chromaturia as a predictor of efficacy [ Time Frame: 3.5 years ]Urine color will be analyzed by the central lab and overall survival will be determined for subjects with reddish discoloration of the urine. Testing may be performed to define the chemical profile of the urine.

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria
- Male or female at least 18 years of age and able to provide informed consent.
- Histologically-confirmed diagnosis of CD20-positive DLBCL based on the WHO classification (2016); the diagnosis must be confirmed at the enrolling site. Subjects with high-grade B-cell lymphoma with MYC and BCL2 and/or BCL6 rearrangements and high-grade B-cell lymphoma, NOS are eligible.
- Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0, 1 or 2.
- International Prognostic Index (IPI) score of at least 3.
- Estimated life expectancy of at least 12 weeks.
-
Adequate organ function as follows (within 14 days prior to randomization):
- Hepatic: total bilirubin ≤1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN); alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) ≤1.5 times ULN (<5 times ULN if liver involvement)
- Renal: creatinine clearance of >50 mL/min by Cockcroft- Gault equation
- Bone marrow: platelets ≥75 x 109/L, absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥1.5 x 109/L, hemoglobin ≥10 g/dL. (Platelets ≥50 x 109/L, ANC ≥1.0 x 109/L, hemoglobin ≥8 g/dL permitted if documented bone marrow involvement)
-
Male or female with reproductive potential, must be willing to use an approved contraceptive method (for example, intrauterine device (IUD), birth control pills, or barrier device) during and for 3 months after discontinuation of study treatment. Women of childbearing potential must have a negative serum pregnancy test within 7 days prior to randomization.
- Men are considered of reproductive potential unless they have undergone a vasectomy and confirmed sterile by a post-vasectomy semen analysis.
- Women are considered of reproductive potential unless they have undergone hysterectomy and/or surgical sterilization (at least 6 weeks following a bilateral oophorectomy, bilateral tubal ligation, or bilateral tubal occlusive procedure that has been confirmed in accordance with the device's label) or achieved postmenopausal status (defined as cessation of regular menses for greater than 12 consecutive months in women at least 45 years of age).
- Left ventricular ejection fraction ≥50% by echocardiography or nuclear medicine multi-gated scan.
- Must be able to swallow tablets.
- Must be able to comply with study protocol procedures.
- Willing to consent to have blood stored for possible future biomarker and disease analysis.
- Must have available and willing to submit pre-systemic treatment DLBCL tumor biopsy tissue/slides for central pathology review.
Exclusion Criteria
- Received treatment with an investigational drug within the last 30 days.
- Receiving or has received radiation or any other systemic anticancer treatment for lymphoma (Up to 7 days of corticosteroids are permitted but must be administered after eligibility IPI determination and imaging scans).
- History of indolent lymphoma or follicular Grade 3b lymphoma.
- Primary mediastinal (thymic) large B-cell lymphoma.
- B-cell lymphoma, unclassifiable, with features. intermediate between DLBCL and classical Hodgkin lymphoma.
- Burkitt lymphoma.
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
- Known central nervous system (CNS) involvement.
- Any significant concomitant disorder based on the discretion of the investigator, including but not limited to active bacterial, fungal, or viral infection, incompatible with participation in the study.
- A second primary malignancy (except adequately treated non-melanoma skin cancer); subjects who have had another malignancy in the past, but have been disease-free for more than 5 years, and subjects who have had a localized malignancy treated with curative intent and disease free for more than 2 years are eligible.
- Use of a strong inducer or moderate or strong inhibitor of CYP3A4 within 7 days prior to start of study therapy or expected requirement for use on study therapy.
- Personal or immediate family history of long QT syndrome, QTc interval >450 msec (males) or >470 msec (females) at screening (recommended that QTc be calculated using Fridericia correction formula, QTcF: see Section 6.2.1), or a history of unexplained syncope.
- Use of any medication that can prolong the QT/QTc interval within 7 days prior to start of study therapy or expected requirement for use on study therapy.
- History of severe allergic or anaphylactic reaction to monoclonal antibody therapy.
- Confirmed diagnosis of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy.
- Ongoing grade 2 or higher peripheral neuropathy.
- Have any of the following cardiac disorders: uncontrolled hypertension, unstable angina, myocardial infarction within 8 weeks of Day1, NYHA Grade 2 or higher congestive heart failure, ventricular arrhythmia requiring medication within 1 year of Day 1, NYHA Grade 2 or higher peripheral vascular disease.
- Received a live vaccine within 28 days of study Day 1.
- HIV positive.
- Evidence of chronic hepatitis C infection as indicated by antibody to HCV with positive HCV-RNA.
-
Evidence of chronic hepatitis B infection as indicated by either:
- HBsAg+ or
- HBcAb+ with HBV-DNA+ (any detectable amount is considered positive)

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT03263026
Contact: Ron Shazer, MD | 1.858.799.1021 ext 709 | rshazer@denovobiopharma.com | |
Contact: Steve Haynes | 910-350-2306 | Steve.Haynes@chiltern.com |

United States, Alabama | |
Oncology Specialties: Clearview Cancer Institute | Recruiting |
Huntsville, Alabama, United States, 35805 | |
Contact: Brian Matthews, MD | |
United States, Arkansas | |
Central Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute | Recruiting |
Little Rock, Arkansas, United States, 72205 | |
Contact: Kamal Patel, Dr 501-906-3012 Kpatel@carti.com | |
United States, Colorado | |
Centura Health Corporation | Recruiting |
Denver, Colorado, United States, 80210 | |
United States, Delaware | |
Christiana Care Health Services, Inc | Recruiting |
Newark, Delaware, United States, 19713 | |
Contact: Michael Guarino, Dr Michael.Guarino@USoncology.com | |
United States, Illinois | |
Loyola University Medical Center | Not yet recruiting |
Maywood, Illinois, United States, 60153 | |
Illinois CancerCare | Recruiting |
Peoria, Illinois, United States, 61615 | |
Contact: Madhuri Bajaj, PhD | |
Orchard Healthcare Research | Recruiting |
Skokie, Illinois, United States, 60077 | |
Contact: Ira Oliff, Dr. 224-534-7580 ira.oliff@orchardhr.com | |
United States, Indiana | |
Indiana University | Recruiting |
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46202 | |
Contact: Michael Robertson, MD | |
United States, Kentucky | |
Norton Cancer Institute Oncology Practices - St. Matthews Location | Recruiting |
Louisville, Kentucky, United States, 40241 | |
Contact: Joseph Maly, MD | |
United States, Maryland | |
Regional Cancer Care Associates, MD | Recruiting |
Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20817 | |
Contact: Ralph Boccia, MD | |
United States, Minnesota | |
Minnesota Oncology Hematology Allina Health, Virginia Piper Cancer Institute | Recruiting |
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, 55407 | |
Contact: Michaela Tsai, Dr | |
United States, Missouri | |
Saint Louis University | Recruiting |
Saint Louis, Missouri, United States, 63104 | |
Contact: Mark Fesler, Dr. mark.fesler@health.slu.edu | |
Mercy Research | Recruiting |
Springfield, Missouri, United States, 65806 | |
Contact: Bethany Sleckman, PhD | |
United States, Nevada | |
Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada | Recruiting |
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, 89169 | |
Contact: Edwin Kingsley, Dr edwin.kingsley@usoncology.com | |
United States, New Hampshire | |
Norris Cotton Cancer Center Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center | Recruiting |
Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States, 03766 | |
Contact: Frederick Lansigan, Dr frederick.lansigan@hitchcock.org | |
United States, New Jersey | |
Summit Medical Group | Recruiting |
Morristown, New Jersey, United States, 07960 | |
Contact: Benjamin B Freeman | |
United States, New Mexico | |
San Juan Oncology Associates | Recruiting |
Farmington, New Mexico, United States, 87401 | |
Contact: Sardar Imam, PhD | |
United States, New York | |
New York Medical College | Recruiting |
Hawthorne, New York, United States, 10595 | |
Contact: DeLong Liu, MD | |
Laura & Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Medical Center | Recruiting |
New York, New York, United States, 10016 | |
Contact: Catherine Diefenbach, MD | |
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | Recruiting |
New York, New York, United States, 10029 | |
Contact: Joshua Brody, PhD | |
Contact: Monica Toscano 212-824-7302 monica.toscano@mssm.edu | |
United States, North Carolina | |
Duke University Medical Center | Recruiting |
Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27710 | |
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center | Recruiting |
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States, 27157 | |
United States, Ohio | |
Hematology & Oncology Associates, Inc. | Recruiting |
Canton, Ohio, United States, 44708 | |
Contact: Mitchell Haut, Dr hauttrials@aol.com | |
Mid Ohio Oncology/Hematology Inc. | Recruiting |
Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43219 | |
Contact: Mark Knapp, Dr mknapp@zangcenter.com | |
Tri-County Hematology & Oncology Associates, Inc. | Recruiting |
Massillon, Ohio, United States, 44646 | |
Contact: Norman Rafique, Dr Rafiquetrials@hotmail.com | |
Toledo Clinic Cancer Centers | Recruiting |
Toledo, Ohio, United States, 43623 | |
Contact: Rex Mowat, MD | |
United States, Oregon | |
Providence Portland Medical Center | Recruiting |
Portland, Oregon, United States, 97213 | |
Contact: John Godwin, MD | |
United States, South Carolina | |
Gibbs Cancer Center | Recruiting |
Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States, 29303 | |
United States, South Dakota | |
Avera Cancer Institute | Recruiting |
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States, 57105 | |
Contact: Kelly McCaul, Dr | |
United States, Texas | |
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center - Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center | Recruiting |
Dallas, Texas, United States, 75235 | |
Baylor Scott and White University Medical Center | Recruiting |
Dallas, Texas, United States, 75246 | |
Contact: Moshe Levy, MD | |
Brooke Army Medical Center | Recruiting |
Fort Sam Houston, Texas, United States, 78234 | |
Contact: Russell Baur, MD | |
Oncology Consultants: Memorial City | Recruiting |
Houston, Texas, United States, 77024 | |
Contact: Julio Peguero, MD | |
Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) - Baylor Clinic | Recruiting |
Houston, Texas, United States, 77030 | |
Contact: Martha Mims, Dr mmims@bcm.edu | |
United States, Virginia | |
Hematology-Oncology Associates of Fredericksburg, Inc | Recruiting |
Fredericksburg, Virginia, United States, 22408 | |
Contact: Matthew Whitehurst, MD | |
United States, Washington | |
Virginia Mason Medical Center | Recruiting |
Seattle, Washington, United States, 98101 | |
Contact: David Aboulafia, PhD | |
Seattle Cancer Center Alliance | Recruiting |
Seattle, Washington, United States, 98109 | |
United States, Wisconsin | |
University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics | Recruiting |
Madison, Wisconsin, United States, 53792 | |
Contact: Julie Chang, Dr jc2@medicine.wisc.edu | |
Vince Lombardi Cancer Center (Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center) | Recruiting |
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, 53215 | |
China | |
Beijing Cancer Hospital | Recruiting |
Beijing, China, 100142 | |
Contact: Jun Zhu, PhD | |
Peking University Third Hospital (Hematology Dept) | Not yet recruiting |
Beijing, China, 100191 | |
JiLin Cancer Hospital(Lymphoma hematology Dept) | Not yet recruiting |
Changchun, China, 130012 | |
West China Hospital of Sichuan University (Hematology Dept) | Not yet recruiting |
Chengdu, China, 637400 | |
Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University | Recruiting |
Dalian, China, 116044 | |
Contact: Yang ZHANG, PhD | |
Fujian Medical University Union Hospital | Not yet recruiting |
Fuzhou, China, 350001 | |
GuangDong General Hospital | Recruiting |
Guangzhou, China, 510080 | |
Contact: Wenyu LI, PhD | |
ZheJiang Cancer Hospital ( Lymphoma Dept) | Recruiting |
Hangzhou, China, 310022 | |
Contact: HaiYan Yang, MD | |
Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital (Oncology Internal) | Recruiting |
Harbin, China, 150081 | |
Contact: QingYuan Zhang, PhD | |
Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Hospital | Recruiting |
Shanghai, China, 200032 | |
Contact: Junning Cao, PhD | |
Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University | Not yet recruiting |
Shijiazhuang, China, 050011 | |
Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital | Recruiting |
Tianjin, China, 300060 | |
Contact: HuiLai Zhang, PhD | |
The First Affiliated Hospital of Medical School of Zhejiang University (Hematology Dept) | Recruiting |
Zhejiang, China, 310058 | |
Contact: Jie Jing, MD | |
HeNan Cancer Hospital (Hematology Dept) | Recruiting |
Zhengzhou, China, 450003 | |
Contact: YongPing SONG, MD | |
The First Affiliated Hospital of ZhengZhou University (Oncology Dept) | Recruiting |
Zhengzhou, China, 450052 | |
Contact: MingZhi ZHANG, PhD |
Study Director: | Ron Shazer, MD | Denovo Biopharma LLC |
Responsible Party: | Denovo Biopharma LLC |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT03263026 History of Changes |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
DB102-02 |
First Posted: | August 28, 2017 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | April 19, 2019 |
Last Verified: | April 2019 |
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement: | |
Plan to Share IPD: | Undecided |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: | Yes |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: | No |
Lymphoma Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma enzastaurin |
Lymphoma Lymphoma, B-Cell Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse Neoplasms by Histologic Type Neoplasms Lymphoproliferative Disorders Lymphatic Diseases Immunoproliferative Disorders Immune System Diseases Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin Prednisone Cyclophosphamide Vincristine Rituximab Doxorubicin |
Immunosuppressive Agents Immunologic Factors Physiological Effects of Drugs Antirheumatic Agents Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating Alkylating Agents Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action Antineoplastic Agents Myeloablative Agonists Anti-Inflammatory Agents Glucocorticoids Hormones Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic |