AML-02: Omacetaxine With Standard-of-Care Induction With Cytarabine & Idarubicin in Newly-Diagnosed AML Patients

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Newly diagnosed, untreated patients with AML according to the WHO classification for AML. Prior short-term therapy (≤7 days) with hydroxyurea, steroids, biological or targeted therapy (e.g. FLT3 inhibitors, other kinase inhibitors, azacitidine, ATRA), or hematopoietic growth factors is allowed. A single or two-day dose of cytarabine (up to 3 g/m\^2) for emergency use is also allowed as prior therapy. 2. Patients age 18 to 70 years old who meet diagnostic criteria for AML according to the WHO classification for AML. 3. Previously untreated AML (≥20% blasts). Note that prior short-term therapy (≤7 days) with hydroxyurea, steroids, biological or targeted therapy (e.g. FLT3 inhibitors, other kinase inhibitors, azacitidine, ATRA), or hematopoietic growth factors is allowed. A single or two-day dose of cytarabine (up to 3 g/m2) for emergency use is also allowed as prior therapy. 4. ECOG performance status of 0-3 5. Adequate organ function, if not suspected to be due to AML, within 14 days of study registration, defined as: Total bilirubin ≤ 2.0 x ULN (unless due to hemolysis) AST and ALT ≤ 3 X ULN (unless believed to be due to tumor involvement) Serum Creatinine ≤ 1.5 x ULN Creatinine Clearance \> 30 ml/min 6. Negative urine or serum pregnancy test in females. Patients of reproductive potential (males and females) must consent to and practice double-barrier methods of contraception during treatment and for 12 weeks following the last dose of Omacetaxine. Adequate contraception is defined as double-barrier protection (i.e., condom plus spermicide in combination with a diaphragm, cervical/vault cap, or intrauterine device). Birth control pills, birth control patches and/or injections of hormones to prevent pregnancy are not considered an adequate method of preventing pregnancy, and double-barrier protection is required while on study and for 12 weeks after last dose. Patients will be instructed to notify the investigator if pregnancy is discovered either during or within 12 weeks of completing treatment with Omacetaxine. This also applies to male patients whose partners become pregnant while the patient is on study or within the 12 week period after the last dose of study drug. 7. Patients must be willing and able to review, understand, and provide written consent before starting therapy. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Acute promyelocytic leukemia. 2. Investigational drug within 4 weeks of study entry. 3. Cardiac insufficiency grade III or IV New York Heart Association (NYHA) 4. Female subjects who are pregnant or breast feeding. 5. Patients who are HIV positive. 6. Active uncontrolled infection or severe systemic infection (enrollment is possible after control of infection). 7. Concurrent malignancy (other than AML) with an estimated life expectancy less than two years and requiring active therapy. 8. Psychological, familial, sociological, or geographical condition that would preclude study compliance and follow-up. 9. Uncontrolled angina, severe uncontrolled ventricular arrhythmias, or electrocardiographic evidence of acute ischemia or medically relevant active conduction system abnormalities. Prior to study entry, any ECG abnormality at screening has to be documented by the investigator as not medically relevant. 10. Pregnant or breastfeeding: Omacetaxine is a Pregnancy Category D medication and has caused embryo-fetal death in animals. Confirmation that the subject is not pregnant must be established by a negative urine β-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) pregnancy test result obtained during screening. Pregnancy testing is not required for post-menopausal or surgically sterilized women. 11. Other severe acute or chronic medical or psychiatric condition, or laboratory abnormality that may increase the risk associated with study participation or investigational product administration or may interfere with the interpretation of study results and, in the judgment of the investigator, would make the patient inappropriate for enrollment in this study.