Nurix Therapeutics Announces First Patient Enrolled in Phase 1b/2 Combination Study of Bexobrutideg in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

The combination program could extend beyond previously treated CLL to first-line treatment and other B-cell malignancies.

Rhea-AI Summary

Nurix Therapeutics (Nasdaq: NRIX) enrolled the first patient in its Phase 1b/2 study combining bexobrutideg with venetoclax for chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

The NX-5948-203 study, conducted under Nurix's global collaboration with Roche, evaluates safety, tolerability and clinical activity. Bexobrutideg is an investigational oral drug that degrades Bruton’s tyrosine kinase; venetoclax is a standard-of-care treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma. The initial cohort focuses on disease that has returned or resisted treatment, with potential expansion to first-line treatment.

Nurix expects trial data to inform future development supporting registration across treatment lines, including combinations with rituximab and obinutuzumab in previously treated and untreated patients, and potential expansion into other B-cell malignancies.

Positive

• Minor pointFirst patient enrolled in Phase 1b/2 NX-5948-203, advancing bexobrutideg's combination development with venetoclax.
• Minor point. Forward-looking: it has not happened yet and may not happen.Potential first-line CLL expansion would extend the initial focus on relapsed or refractory disease.
• Minor point. Forward-looking: it has not happened yet and may not happen.Nurix expects trial data to inform registrational development, including rituximab and obinutuzumab combinations.
• Minor point. Forward-looking: it has not happened yet and may not happen.Potential expansion into other B-cell malignancies is part of the development strategy.

Negative

• None.

Key Figures

Study phase: Phase 1b/2

Study phase

Phase 1b/2

Bexobrutideg combination study in CLL/SLL

Key Terms

btk degrader, bcl2 inhibitor, cll/sll, anti-cd20 antibodies

4 terms

btk degrader medical

"investigational oral Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) degrader"

A BTK degrader is a type of drug designed to attach to Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) — a protein that helps certain immune and cancer cells survive — and mark it for removal by the cell’s disposal system. For investors, BTK degraders matter because they can potentially work when older BTK-blocking drugs fail, may reduce long-term side effects, and could expand or shift market opportunities in cancer and autoimmune treatments.

bcl2 inhibitor medical

"venetoclax, a BCL2 inhibitor"

A BCL2 inhibitor is a type of drug that blocks the BCL2 protein, which normally helps cells avoid programmed death; by disabling that safety switch, the drug encourages diseased cells (often cancer cells) to die. Investors pay attention because these drugs can change treatment outcomes, affect regulatory approval prospects, and drive sales or partnerships—think of them as targeted tools that can open new markets or boost the value of a drug portfolio if they prove safe and effective.

cll/sll medical

"chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL)"

A blood cancer that arises when a type of white blood cell (B lymphocyte) grows out of control; when it mainly affects the bloodstream and bone marrow it’s called CLL, and when it presents mainly as swollen lymph nodes it’s called SLL—clinically they are the same disease. Think of the body’s security guards multiplying and malfunctioning instead of protecting you. Investors care because the disease drives demand for therapies, clinical trial results and regulatory approvals directly affect drug makers’ revenue, valuation and partnership or acquisition activity.

anti-cd20 antibodies medical

"the anti-CD20 antibodies rituximab and obinutuzumab"

Antibodies that specifically bind the CD20 protein on the surface of B lymphocytes; most clinical anti‑CD20 agents are engineered monoclonal antibodies that attach to CD20 and remove or disable those B cells by triggering immune mechanisms (complement activation, antibody‑dependent cellular cytotoxicity) or by inducing cell death. They are used therapeutically to reduce or eliminate CD20‑expressing B cells in conditions such as certain B‑cell cancers and autoimmune diseases; they act only on cells that express the CD20 surface antigen and therefore spare cells that lack CD20 (for example, most plasma cells and hematopoietic stem cells), which affects how and how long B‑cell levels and antibody production recover after treatment.

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First patient enrolled in cohort combining bexobrutideg with venetoclax

Initial cohort to focus on relapsed/refractory CLL, with potential expansion to first-line CLL

Strategy includes evaluation of bexobrutideg given in combination with venetoclax and selected antibodies in the Roche portfolio of B-cell malignancy therapies

BRISBANE, Calif., Oct. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nurix Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: NRIX) today announced that the first patient has been enrolled in the Phase 1b/2 NX-5948-203 study evaluating bexobrutideg, an investigational oral Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) degrader, in combination with venetoclax, a standard-of-care therapy for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL).

The study is being conducted under the global collaboration between Nurix and Roche and is designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability and clinical activity of bexobrutideg in combination with venetoclax, a BCL2 inhibitor. Data from the trial are expected to inform future registrational development strategies across lines of therapy in CLL, including evaluating bexobrutideg in combination with the anti-CD20 antibodies rituximab and obinutuzumab across multiple cohorts of patients with relapsed or refractory and previously untreated CLL, and potential expansion into other B-cell malignancies.

“The initiation of this study marks another important milestone in our effort to realize the full potential of bexobrutideg across B-cell malignancies,” said Arthur T. Sands, M.D., Ph.D., chief executive officer of Nurix. “Combination therapies are becoming increasingly important in the treatment of CLL, especially in earlier lines of therapy, and we believe bexobrutideg’s differentiated mechanism of action, robust single-agent activity and favorable tolerability make it an attractive partner for combination approaches to deliver deep, durable responses with fixed-duration therapy.”

About Bexobrutideg (NX-5948)
Bexobrutideg (NX-5948) is an investigational, orally bioavailable, brain-penetrant, highly selective small-molecule degrader of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) being developed by Nurix and Roche as a potential best-in-class therapy across oncology, immunology and neurology.

​​​Bexobrutideg is currently being evaluated in a broad clinical development program in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), including the DAYBreak CLL-201 clinical trial (NCT07221500), a pivotal single-arm Phase 2 study in patients with relapsed/refractory CLL previously treated with covalent and noncovalent BTKi and a BCL2i; the DAYBreak CLL-306 clinical trial (NCT07516093), a randomized Phase 3 trial comparing bexobrutideg to pirtobrutinib in patients with relapsed/refractory CLL previously treated with a covalent BTKi; the NX-5948-203 Phase 1b/2 clinical trial (NCT07520006), assessing the combination of bexobrutideg with venetoclax in patients with relapsed/refractory CLL and potentially treatment-naïve CLL; and the NX-5948-301 Phase 1a/1b clinical trial (NCT05131022) in patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell malignancies. Additional information about these clinical trials can be found at clinicaltrials.gov.

About Nurix Therapeutics
Nurix Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of targeted protein degradation medicines, a new frontier in drug discovery aimed at improving treatment options for patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases. Nurix’s clinical-stage oncology pipeline includes bexobrutideg, a degrader of BTK being co-developed with Roche, and NX-1607, an inhibitor of Casitas B-lineage lymphoma proto-oncogene B (CBL-B), an E3 ligase that regulates activation of multiple immune cell types including T cells and NK cells. Nurix’s autoimmune disease pipeline includes bexobrutideg in collaboration with Roche and clinical-stage degraders of IRAK4 in collaboration with Gilead and STAT6 in collaboration with Sanofi. Nurix is also advancing multiple potentially first-in-class or best-in-class degraders and degrader antibody conjugates in its wholly owned preclinical pipeline and under collaboration agreements with Gilead Sciences, Inc., Sanofi S.A. and Pfizer Inc., within which Nurix retains certain options for co-development, co-commercialization and profit sharing in the United States for multiple drug candidates. Powered by an AI-integrated discovery engine capable of tackling virtually any protein class, and coupled with unparalleled ligase expertise, Nurix’s dedicated team has built a formidable advantage in translating the science of targeted protein degradation into clinical advancements. Nurix aims to establish degrader-based treatments at the forefront of patient care, writing medicine’s next chapter with a new script to outmatch disease. Nurix is headquartered in Brisbane, California. For additional information, visit www.nurixtx.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements that relate to future events and expectations and as such constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When or if used in this press release, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “outlook,” “plan,” “predict,” “should,” “will,” and similar expressions and their variants, as they relate to Nurix, may identify forward-looking statements. All statements that reflect Nurix’s expectations, assumptions or projections about the future, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding Nurix’s plans for the development of bexobrutideg and the potential of bexobrutideg to serve as a foundational component of future combination regimens. Forward-looking statements reflect Nurix’s current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions. Although Nurix believes the expectations and assumptions reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, Nurix can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict, which could cause Nurix’s actual activities and results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: (i) whether Nurix and Roche will be able to successfully conduct and complete clinical development of bexobrutideg pursuant to the Nurix-Roche collaboration; (ii) the unexpected emergence of adverse events or other undesirable side effects during clinical development; (iii) whether Nurix will have adequate resources to fund its obligations under the Nurix-Roche collaboration; (iv) whether the parties will be able to successfully co-commercialize bexobrutideg in the United States; and (v) other risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” in Nurix’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal period ended May 31, 2026, and other SEC filings. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release, even if subsequently made available by Nurix on its website or otherwise. Nurix disclaims any intention or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether in response to new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

Contacts:
Media & Investors
Kris Fortner
Nurix Therapeutics, Inc.
kfortner@nurixtx.com

FAQ

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What milestone did Nurix Therapeutics announce for the bexobrutideg combination study?

The first patient has been enrolled in the Phase 1b/2 NX-5948-203 study combining bexobrutideg with venetoclax. Conducted under Nurix's global collaboration with Roche, the study evaluates safety, tolerability and clinical activity, initially focusing on relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia.