Drug resistance resulting from emergence of Imatinib-resistant BCR-ABL clones is a significant problem in Ph positive ALL patients because after a very good initial response to one TKI inhibitor, many patients relapse within one year, relapse being almost always associated with a BCR-ABL kinase domain point mutation. The patients who relapse after treatment with one TKI can be rescued to remission with another TKI, but the second remission is usually shorter than the previous one. A more potent TKI inhibitor, and pan-active not only on all the BCR-ABL variants (including the second generation TKI resistant T315I mutant), but also on others molecular targets can do better. In this context, Ponatinib is a novel synthetic orally active tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), specifically developed to inhibit BCR-ABL, the fusion protein that is the product of the Philadelphia chromosome (Ph) in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and in a subset of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL). It potently inhibits the BCR-ABL protein as well as mutated forms of the protein that arise in patients resistant to prior therapies with TKIs. Ponatinib has been demonstrated to inhibit all the mutations that have been detected so far, in vitro and in vivo and to uniformly suppress the emerge of single-mutant clones in a mutagenesis assay. In the Phase II study, 41% of Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients treated with Ponatinib achieved major hematologic response, 47% had a major cytogenetic response, 38% obtained a complete cytogenetic response, showing that Ponatinib provides significant benefit despite previous intolerance or refractoriness to other TKIs. The Phase I trial showed that patients with a more recent diagnosis had increased rates of major molecular response: 79% for 14 patients with 0 to 5 years since diagnosis vs. 29% for 14 patients with more than 5 to 9 years since diagnosis (P=0.02) and 27% for 15 patients with more than 9 to 24 years since diagnosis (P=0.009). These characteristics support the hypothesis for a role of Ponatinib not only in patients resistant to prior TKI therapy but also in untreated ALL Ph+ patients, in order to prevent the emergence of resistant caused by the selection of mutated Ph+ clones and in order to avoid rapid progression of the disease.

This is a multi-center, phase 2, single arm unblinded trial of oral Ponatinib in patients with Ph+ Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Patients will receive daily oral administration of Ponatinib at a dose of 45 mg/day for 6 weeks (defined as one course) for 8 courses, same dose and schedule, for a total of 48 weeks. Each patient will be followed for the subsequent 24 months, every 3 month, providing survival information and monitoring serious adverse event.

Each patient should be treated for a minimum of 6 weeks. Then a patient can be discontinued in the following situation:

• at the end of first course (6 weeks), in case of lack of CHR;
• at the end of third course (18 weeks), in case of lack of CCgR;
• any time in case of loss of CHR or CCgR.

If they remain on therapy after 48 weeks, they will be able to continue treatment during the extension phase of the study, if it is of interest of the patient, or they will be allowed to receive any treatment that is in their interest. For all the patients remaining on trial, response, outcome and toxicity will be followed for the subsequent 24 months.The 6-weeks periodicity must be rigidly respected, irrespective of the temporary discontinuation of study drug (eg, if a patient will take Ponatinib only for 4 weeks and will remain off-treatment for the subsequent two weeks because of AE, when the 7th week begins this patient will restart Ponatinib as a second course, as per protocol). Prednisone (P) will be administered to all patients for 7-14 days, before Ponatinib, so as to make it possible to wait for the results of cytogenetic and molecular tests, and to evaluate the response to P alone, hence for another 21 days. Intrathecal therapy (IT) with MTX/AraC/DEX is mandatory, every 28 days, in patients without clinical-cytologic evidence of meningeal involvement. In patients with CNS disease, IT is performed twice weekly until a complete clearance of cerebrospinal fluid blast cells is achieved, hence once weekly for 4 weeks, hence once monthly.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. To be classified as having Ph+ ALL, patients must have >20% blasts in bone marrow at the time of diagnosis and no prior history of CML.

2. Patients with previously untreated Ph+ and/or BCR/ABL + ALL:

   • age ≥ 60 years old or
   • age ≥ 18 years old, but unfit for program of intensive therapy and allogeneic SCT

3. Adequate hepatic function as defined by the following criteria:

   • total serum bilirubin ≤1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN), unless due to Gilbert's syndrome
   • alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤2.5 × ULN
   • aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≤2.5 × ULN.

4. Adequate pancreatic function as defined by the following criterion:

   - serum lipase and amylase ≤1.5 × ULN.

5. For females of childbearing potential, a negative pregnancy test must be documented prior to randomization.

6. Female and male patients who are fertile must agree to use an effective form of contraception with their sexual partners from randomization through 4 months after the end of treatment.

7. Signed written informed consent according to ICH/EU/GCP and national local laws.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. WHO performance status ≤ 50% (Karnofsky) or ≥ 3 (ECOG).

2. Active HBV or HCV hepatitis, or AST/ALT ≥ 2.5 x ULN and bilirubin ≥ 1.5 x ULN.

3. History of acute pancreatitis within 1 year of study or history of chronic pancreatitis.

4. History of alcohol abuse.

5. Ongoing or active infections.

6. Uncontrolled hypertriglyceridemia (triglycerides >450 mg/dL).

7. Clinically significant, uncontrolled, or active cardiovascular disease, specifically including, but not restricted to:

   • any history of myocardial infarction, stroke, or revascularization
   • unstable angina or transient ischemic attack within 6 months prior to enrollment
   • congestive heart failure within 6 months prior to enrollment, or left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) less than lower limit of normal per local institutional standards within 6 months prior to enrollment
   • history of clinically significant (as determined by the treating physician) atrial arrhythmia
   • any history of ventricular arrhythmia
   • any history of venous thromboembolism including deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism .

8. Uncontrolled hypertension (diastolic blood pressure >90 mm Hg; systolic >140 mm Hg). Patients with hypertension should be under treatment on study entry to effect blood pressure control.

9. Taking medications that are known to be associated with Torsades de Pointes.

10. Taking any medications or herbal supplements that are known to be strong inhibitors of CYP3A4 within at least 14 days before the first dose of ponatinib.

11. Creatinine level > 2.5mg/dl or Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) < 20 ml/min or proteinuria > 3.5 g/day.

12. Impairment of gastrointestinal (GI) function, or a GI disease that may significantly alter the absorption of study drugs (e.g. rare hereditary problems of galactose intolerance , the Lapp lactase deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption, severe malabsorption syndrome, or extended small bowel resection).

13. Patients who are currently receiving treatment with any of the medications listed in Appendix E if the medications cannot be either discontinued or switched to a different medication prior to starting study drug. The medications listed in Appendix E have the potential to prolong QT.

14. Patients who have received any investigational drug ≤ 4 weeks.

15. Patients who have undergone major surgery ≤ 2 weeks prior to starting study drug or who have not recovered from side effects of such therapy.

16. Patients who are pregnant or breast feeding and adults of reproductive potential not employing an effective method of birth control (women of childbearing potential must have a negative serum pregnancy test within 48 hrs prior to administration of Ponatinib). Post menopausal women must be amenorrhoeic for at least 12 months to be considered of non-childbearing potential. Male and female patients must agree to employ an effective barrier method of birth control throughout the study and for up to 4 months following discontinuation of study drugs.

17. Patients with a history of another primary malignancy that is currently clinically significant or currently requires active intervention.

18. Patients unwilling or unable to comply with the protocol.