ABT-199 (venetoclax) and BCL-2 inhibitors in clinical development.

With the advent of new agents targeting CD20, Bruton's tyrosine kinase, and phosphoinositol-3 kinase for chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL), more treatment options exist than ever before. B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) plays a major role in cellular apoptosis and is a druggable target. Small molecule inhibitors of BCL-2 are in active clinical studies. ABT-199 (venetoclax, RG7601, GDC-0199) has been granted breakthrough designation by FDA for relapsed or refractory CLL with 17p deletion. In this review, we summarized the latest clinical development of ABT-199/venetoclax and other novel agents targeting the BCL-2 proteins.