Asciminib deepens frontline molecular responses in East Asian CML-CP subgroup

Asciminib is a first-in-class allosteric BCR–ABL1 inhibitor that binds the ABL myristoyl pocket rather than the ATP-binding site targeted by standard TKIs. In the East Asian subgroup of the Phase 3 ASC4FIRST trial in newly diagnosed chronic-phase CML (NCT04971226; n=138), asciminib improved MMR vs investigator-selected TKIs at Week 48 (64.9% vs 45.3%) and Week 96 (77.0% vs 57.8%); in the imatinib stratum, Week 48/96 MMR was 67.9%/78.6% vs 30.8%/46.2%. Safety also favored asciminib, with fewer Grade ≥3 AEs (41.9% vs 54.0%) and fewer AE-related discontinuations (2.7% vs 9.5%), strengthening the case for asciminib as a frontline option where long-term tolerability matters as much as early molecular depth.