Generic Versus Branded Imatinib As Frontline Therapy In Chronic-Phase Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients In Italy: A Case-Control Study

Introduction. Imatinib is the most commonly used frontline drug in chronic phase (CP) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients worldwide. In early 2017 a generic formulation of imatinib was introduced in Italy and uniformly replaced branded imatinib (Glivec®), upon requirement of regional health authorities. In the last years various groups reported on the efficacy and safety of generic imatinib with conflicting results, partly related to substandard pharmaceutical quality of some products used in developing countries. In a multicenter cohort of 294 patients treated in Italy with branded imatinib for at least 6 months and then switched to generic imatinib we observed that the majority of patients maintained or improved their molecular response. Here, we analyzed patients who received generic imatinib since diagnosis.