SAN DIEGO – Initial data from an ongoing phase I/II study of a CD19-directed CAR T-cell candidate under development at Celgene Corp. found that 81 percent of the 16 patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) treated so far responded to the medicine, with 43 percent of them demonstrating a complete response. The majority of patients evaluable for minimal residual disease (MRD), a measure that correlates with improved outcomes in the indication, achieved that state early on in their treatment.