Sept 8 (Reuters) - Eli Lilly's ( LLY ) approved blood

cancer therapy Jaypirca helped delay progression of the disease

in previously untreated patients in a late-stage study,

advancing it as a potential first-line treatment option.

A further analysis measuring overall survival rates, another

key measure of efficacy, is planned next year. While data in the

trial for this secondary goal was not mature yet, it was

trending in favor of the treatment being superior to

chemoimmunotherapy, the U.S. drugmaker said on Monday.

Lilly is banking on therapies, such as Jaypirca and breast

cancer drug Verzenio, and other promising candidates to

strengthen its presence in the fast-growing but competitive

cancer treatments market.

In January, the drugmaker struck an up to $2.5 billion deal

to buy Scorpion Therapeutics' experimental oral therapy for

breast cancer and other advanced solid tumors.

Jaypirca was tested in patients with a type of chronic

lymphocytic leukemia, or small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL),

characterized by an increased production of abnormal white blood

cells that have difficulty fighting infections.

In the study, 282 patients were randomly chosen to receive

Jaypirca or chemoimmunotherapy, Lilly said.

Earlier this year, Jaypirca was shown to be more effective

in a head-to-head study against AbbVie's ( ABBV ) top-selling

cancer drug Imbruvica. Both the treatments target a type of

protein called Bruton's tyrosine kinase.

Lilly said on Monday data from the studies would form the

basis to seek label expansions in earlier lines of therapy and

global regulatory submissions will begin later this year.

Jaypirca, which recorded $337 million in sales in 2024, has

accelerated approval for patients with CLL/SLL and mantle-cell

lymphoma, a rare type of blood cancer, who have had at least two

lines of therapy.

(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj

Kalluvila)