Daratumumab, carfilzomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (Dara-KRd) combination therapy, autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT), and measurable residual disease (MRD) response-adapted consolidation led to high rates of MRD negativity in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. This is according to results of a study presented during the 2021 ASH Annual Meeting by Luciano J. Costa, MD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. According to the researchers, MRD following initial therapy in patients with newly diagnosed myeloma is prognostic of long-term outcom ..read more

The addition of isatuximab to lenalidomide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (RVd) improved rates of measurable residual disease (MRD) negativity better than RVd alone in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, according to results from a phase III study presented during the 2021 ASH Annual Meeting. Findings were shared by Hartmut Goldschmidt, MD, of the University Hospital Heidelberg and National Center of Tumor Diseases in Germany. According to Dr. Goldschmidt, the addition of anti-CD38 monoclonal antibodies to standard of care for newly diagnosed myeloma increases efficacy ..read more

With 24 months of maintenance therapy, the combination of daratumumab and lenalidomide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (D-RVd) continued to provide deep and durable responses in patients with transplant-eligible, newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, according to updated results of the GRIFFIN trial. The findings were presented by Jacob P. Laubach, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, at the 2021 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting. According to Dr. Laubach, the results support use of daratumumab plus RVd induction and consolidation with daratumumab maintenance in transplant-e ..read more

A two-year daratumumab maintenance regimen administered every eight weeks significantly reduced the risk of disease progression or death, compared with observation alone, in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM). This is according to findings from the open-label CASSIOPEIA trial published in The Lancet Oncology. The two-part trial included patients with newly diagnosed MM who were recruited across 111 academic and community practice centers in Europe. All patients were eligible for high-dose therapy and autologous hematopoietic cell transplant (AHCT). In the first part of the t ..read more

Brea Lipe, MD Clinical director of Wilmot Cancer Institute's multiple myeloma program and associate professor of hematology/oncology at the University of Rochester Medical Center Peter Voorhees, MD Director, Outreach for Hematologic Malignancies, Plasma Cells Disorder Program, Department of Hematologic Oncology and Blood Disorders, Levine Cancer Institute With a recent expansion in the availability of treatments for multiple myeloma (MM), several regimens have been shown to improve survival outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed disease. Three-drug regimens have been accepted ..read more

Treatment with a subcutaneous formulation of teclistamab, a novel bispecific antibody targeting B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) and CD3 receptors, was well tolerated and associated with durable responses in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (MM), according to findings from a phase I study. These responses continued to deepen over time, the authors, led by Saad Usmani, MD, of the Levine Cancer Institute/Atrium Health in Charlotte, North Carolina, reported. “The cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurotoxicity rates are low with teclistamab, making it feasible to administ ..read more

Oncopeptides AB has announced its decision to withdraw melphalan flufenamide from the U.S. market after results from the phase III OCEAN study showed an overall survival rate in the intention-to-treat population with a hazard ratio of 1.104.According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the results of the OCEAN trial do not meet their criteria for a confirmatory study. On February 26, 2021, melphalan flufenamide received accelerated approval from the FDA for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received at least four prior lines of ..read more

Treatment with oral BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax induced deep and durable responses in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (MM), especially those with t(11;14) translocation, according to recent findings published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. This phase I study, led by Nizar J. Bahlis, MD, of Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute at the University of Calgary in Canada, enrolled 48 patients with relapsed or refractory MM. Patients with t(11;14) translocation received venetoclax in combination with daratumumab and dexamethasone (VenDd), while cytogenetically unselected pat ..read more

The FDA has approved daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj, in combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone (Pd), for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory MM. This indication includes patients whose disease is refractory to lenalidomide. This decision is based on results from the phase III APOLLO study, which enrolled 304 patients with relapsed or refractory MM who had experienced disease progression after treatment with lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor. Daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj plus Pd reduced the risk of progression or death by 37% when compared with Pd al ..read more

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted fast track designation to ALLO-605 for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (MM). ALLO-605 is an allogeneic, gene-edited, B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)─targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy derived from healthy donor-induced pluripotent stem cells. The phase I IGNITE study evaluating the safety, feasibility, and recommended phase II dose of ALLO-605 began enrolling patients with relapsed or refractory MM, or other BCMA-positive malignancies, last year. The IGNITE study will al ..read more