Clinical trial Recruiting at 94 sites Phase 2 Interventional Ages 18 and up

Evaluating the effects of nemtabrutinib in patients with blood cancers

Official title: A Phase 2 Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of MK-1026 in Participants With Hematologic Malignancies

Run by Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC · NCT04728893 · Data updated 2026-11-12

This study is testing a new oral medication called nemtabrutinib to see if it can help people with blood cancers like chronic lymphocytic leukemia and Waldenström's macroglobulinemia feel better and stay safe.

More Hematologic Malignancies trials

Quick facts

PhasePhase 2
Study typeInterventional
Ages18 Years and up
SexAll
Enrollment490 (estimated)
SponsorMerck Sharp & Dohme LLC
Industry-sponsored
Drugs / interventionsnemtabrutinib
Locations121 sites (Springdale, Arkansas and 120 other locations)
StatusRecruiting
StartedApril 5, 2021
Main results expectedJanuary 4, 2029
Study endsJanuary 4, 2029
Registry record updatedOctober 27, 2026
Trial IDNCT04728893 on ClinicalTrials.gov

Is this trial a fit for you?

Likely a good fit

Ideal candidates include individuals with hematologic malignancies who have a performance status of 0 to 2 and meet specific health criteria.

Probably not a fit

Patients with severe organ dysfunction or those who cannot tolerate oral medications may not benefit from this study.

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This clinical trial aims to assess the safety and efficacy of nemtabrutinib in patients diagnosed with various hematologic malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia and Waldenström's macroglobulinemia. The study is divided into two parts: the first part focuses on dose escalation to determine the recommended phase 2 dose, while the second part involves cohort expansion with disease-specific groups. Participants will receive the oral medication and will be monitored for treatment outcomes and side effects.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this treatment could provide a new therapeutic option for patients with difficult-to-treat blood cancers.

How similar studies have gone: Other studies have shown promising results with similar therapies targeting hematologic malignancies, suggesting potential for success in this approach.

Who can join: the full rules

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

* Has an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 to 2 within 7 days before C1D1 (the first dose of study treatment)
* Has a life expectancy of at least 3 months, based on the investigator assessment
* Has the ability to swallow and retain oral medication
* Participants who are Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive are eligible if they have received Hepatitis B virus (HBV) antiviral therapy for at least 4 weeks and have undetectable HBV viral load prior to randomization
* Participants with history of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are eligible if HCV viral load is undetectable at screening
* Has adequate organ function
* Male participants agree to refrain from donating sperm and agree to either remain abstinent from penile-vaginal intercourse as their preferred and usual lifestyle OR agree to use contraception, during the intervention period and for at least the time required to eliminate the study intervention after last dose of study intervention
* Female participants assigned female sex at birth who are not pregnant or breastfeeding are eligible to participate if not a participant of childbearing potential (POCBP), or if a POCBP they either use a contraceptive method that is highly effective OR remain abstinent from penile-vaginal intercourse as their preferred and usual lifestyle during the intervention period and for at least to eliminate study intervention after the last dose of study intervention
* Participants with Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are eligible if they meet all of the following: the CD4 count is \>350 cells/uL at screening, the HIV viral load is below the detectable level, are on a stable ART regimen for at least 4 weeks prior to study entry, and are compliant with their ART

Part 1 and Part 2 (Cohorts A to C and J)

* Has a confirmed diagnosis of Chronic lymphocytic leukemia/ Small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) with

  * At least 2 lines of prior therapy (Part 1 only)
  * Part 2 Cohort A: CLL/SLL participants who are relapsed or refractory to prior therapy with a covalent, irreversible Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi), and a B-cell lymphoma 2 inhibitor (BCL2i). CLL participants must have received and failed, been intolerant to, or determined by their treating physician to be a poor phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitor (PI3Ki) candidate or ineligible for a PI3Ki per local guidelines
  * Part 2 Cohort B: CLL/SLL participants who are relapsed or refractory following at least 1 line of prior therapy and are BTKi treatment naive
  * Part 2 Cohort C: CLL/SLL participants with 17p deletion or tumor protein p53 (TP53) mutation who are relapsed or refractory following at least 1 line of prior therapy
  * Part 2 Cohort J: CLL/SLL participants whose disease relapsed or was refractory to prior therapy with a covalent/irreversible BTKi and BCL2i. NOTE: As of Protocol Amendment 09, at least 10 CLL/SLL participants whose disease relapsed or was refractory to prior therapy with a covalent/irreversible BTKi, BCL2i and noncovalent/reversible BTKi (all three classes of therapies are required) will be enrolled into Cohort J
  * Has active disease for CLL/SLL clearly documented to initiate therapy
  * For SLL participants in Part 2: Has evaluable core or excisional lymph node biopsy for biomarker analysis from an archival or newly obtained biopsy or bone marrow aspirate at Screening (optional for participants enrolling in Part 1)

Part 2 (Cohorts D to G)

\- Has a confirmed diagnosis of and meets the following prior therapy requirements:

* Participants with Richter's transformation who are relapsed or refractory following at least 1 line of prior therapy (Cohort D)
* Participants with pathologically confirmed Mantle-cell lymphoma (MCL), documented by either overexpression of cyclin D1 or t (11;14), who are relapsed or are refractory to chemoimmunotherapy and a covalent irreversible BTKi (Cohort E)
* Participants with Marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) (including splenic, nodal, and extra nodal MZL) who are relapsed or refractory to at least one prior line of systemic therapy including an anti-CD20-based regimen
* Participants with Follicular lymphoma (FL) who are relapsed or refractory to chemoimmunotherapy and immunomodulatory agents (such as lenalidomide based regimen) (Cohort G)
* Have measurable disease defined as at least 1 lesion that can be accurately measured in at least 2 dimensions with spiral Computed tomography (CT) scan
* Has a lymph node biopsy for biomarker analysis from an archival or newly obtained biopsy or bone marrow aspirate (Cohort D) at Screening

Part 2 (Cohort H): confirmed diagnosis of Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM); participants who are relapsed or refractory to standard therapies for WM including chemoimmunotherapy and a covalent irreversible BTKi

* Has active disease defined as 1 of the following: systemic symptoms, physical findings, laboratory abnormalities, coexisting disease
* Has measurable disease, satisfying any of the following: at least 1 lesion that can be accurately measured in at least 2 dimensions with spiral CT scan (minimum measurement must be \>15 mm in the longest diameter or \>10 mm in the short axis); IgM ≥450 mg/dL; or bone marrow infiltration of 10%
* Has fresh bone marrow aspirate or a lymph node biopsy for biomarker analysis at Screening or a lymph node biopsy from an archival

Exclusion Criteria:

* Has active HBV/HCV infection (Part 1 and Part 2)
* Has a history of malignancy ≤3 years before providing documented informed consent. Participants with basal cell carcinoma of skin, squamous cell carcinoma of skin, or carcinoma in situ (e.g., breast carcinoma, cervical cancer in situ) that have undergone potential curative therapy are not excluded. Participants with low-risk, early-stage prostate cancer (T1-T2a, Gleason score ≤6, and prostate-specific antigen \<10 ng/mL) either treated with definitive intent or untreated in active surveillance with SD are not excluded
* Has active central nervous system (CNS) disease
* Has an active infection requiring systemic therapy
* Has received prior systemic anti-cancer therapy within 5 half-lives or 4 weeks (if prior therapy was a monoclonal antibody) before C1D1
* Is currently participating in or has participated in a study of an investigational agent or has used an investigational device within 4 weeks prior to the first dose of study intervention
* Has any clinically significant gastrointestinal abnormalities that might alter absorption
* History of severe bleeding disorders

Where it's running

  • Highlands Oncology Group ( Site 2728)
    Springdale, Arkansas, United States
    Recruiting
  • University of California San Diego Moores Cancer Center ( Site 2717)
    La Jolla, California, United States
    Recruiting
  • Colorado Blood Cancer Institute ( Site 2726)
    Denver, Colorado, United States
    Recruiting
  • Astera Cancer Care ( Site 2732)
    East Brunswick, New Jersey, United States
    Recruiting
  • John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center ( Site 2704)
    Hackensack, New Jersey, United States
    Recruiting
  • UT Southwestern-Harold C. Simmons Cancer Center ( Site 2730)
    Dallas, Texas, United States
    Recruiting
Show 44 more locations
  • Medical Oncology Associates (Summit Cancer Centers) ( Site 2710)
    Spokane, Washington, United States
    Recruiting
  • Hospital Aleman ( Site 0102)
    Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
    Recruiting
  • Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas (CEMIC) ( Site 0103)
    Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires F.D., Argentina
    Recruiting
  • Fundacion Estudios Clinicos ( Site 0112)
    Rosario, Santa Fe Province, Argentina
    Recruiting
  • FUNDALEU ( Site 0104)
    Caba, Argentina
    Recruiting
  • Hospital Privado Universitario de Córdoba ( Site 0107)
    Córdoba, Argentina
    Recruiting
  • Box Hill Hospital ( Site 0203)
    Box Hill, Victoria, Australia
    Recruiting
  • Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital ( Site 0200)
    Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
    Recruiting
  • Hospital das Clinicas FMUSP-Pesquisa Clínica Hematologia ( Site 0303)
    São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
    Recruiting
  • Instituto Nacional do Cancer Jose Alencar Gomes da Silva INCA ( Site 0300)
    Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
    Recruiting
  • Hospital Paulistano - Amil Clinical Research ( Site 0311)
    São Paulo, Brazil
    Recruiting
  • Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre ( Site 0401)
    Calgary, Alberta, Canada
    Recruiting
  • The Ottawa Hospital ( Site 0404)
    Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
    Recruiting
  • Princess Margaret Cancer Centre-Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology ( Site 0406)
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Recruiting
  • CIUSSS de l Est de L Ile de Montreal - Hopital Maisonneuve-Rosemont ( Site 0403)
    Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    Recruiting
  • Jewish General Hospital ( Site 0400)
    Montreal, Quebec, Canada
    Recruiting
  • Peking University Third Hospital-Hematology ( Site 2827)
    Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
    Recruiting
  • Liuzhou People's Hospital ( Site 2817)
    Liuzhou, Guangxi, China
    Recruiting
  • Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital ( Site 2814)
    Nanning, Guangxi, China
    Recruiting
  • Henan Cancer Hospital-hematology department ( Site 2802)
    Zhengzhou, Henan, China
    Recruiting
  • Wuhan Union Hospital ( Site 2816)
    Wuhan, Hubei, China
    Recruiting
  • The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University ( Site 2820)
    Changsha, Hunan, China
    Recruiting
  • Hunan Cancer Hospital ( Site 2822)
    Changsha, Hunan, China
    Recruiting
  • Jiangsu Province Hospital ( Site 2823)
    Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
    Recruiting
  • The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University ( Site 2815)
    Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
    Recruiting
  • The First Hospital of Jilin University-Hematology ( Site 2803)
    Changchun, Jilin, China
    Recruiting
  • Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center ( Site 2801)
    Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China
    Recruiting
  • Huashan Hospital, Fudan University ( Site 2821)
    Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China
    Recruiting
  • West China Hospital Sichuan University ( Site 2810)
    Chengdu, Sichuan, China
    Recruiting
  • Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Unio ( Site 2800)
    Tianjin, Tianjin Municipality, China
    Recruiting
  • The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University ( Site 2826)
    Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
    Recruiting
  • Fakultní nemocnice Brno Bohunice-Interni hematologicka a onkologicka klinika ( Site 0600)
    Brno, Brno-mesto, Czechia
    Recruiting
  • Fakultni nemocnice Hradec Kralove ( Site 0601)
    Hradec Králové, Czechia
    Recruiting
  • Aalborg Universitetshospital ( Site 0703)
    Aalborg, North Denmark, Denmark
    Recruiting
  • Sjællands Universitetshospital Køge ( Site 0701)
    Koege, Region Sjælland, Denmark
    Recruiting
  • Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice - Hôpital l'Archet ( Site 0810)
    Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France
    Recruiting
  • Centre Hospitalier Lyon-Sud ( Site 0804)
    Pierre-Bénite, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
    Recruiting
  • Institut Paoli-Calmettes ( Site 0803)
    Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhone, France
    Recruiting
  • Hopital Saint Louis ( Site 0805)
    Paris, France
    Recruiting
  • Universitaetsklinikum Ulm. ( Site 0906)
    Ulm, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
    Recruiting
  • Universitaetsklinikum Koeln ( Site 0901)
    Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
    Recruiting
  • Universitaetsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus ( Site 0902)
    Dresden, Saxony, Germany
    Recruiting
  • Pecsi Tudomanyegyetem Altalanos Orvostudomanyi Kar ( Site 1202)
    Pécs, Baranya, Hungary
    Recruiting
  • Debreceni Egyetem Klinikai Kozpont ( Site 1201)
    Debrecen, Hajdú-Bihar, Hungary
    Recruiting

+71 more sites. See ClinicalTrials.gov for the full list.

Study contacts

Similar studies

Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.

How to take part

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Last reviewed 2026-11-14 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.