Janet Stewart, MSc,  —

Celgene’s investigational and second-generation CAR T-cell therapy bb2121 is showing real promise in treating advanced multiple myeloma patients, those with relapsed or refractory disease, updated Phase 1 data is expected to show. An earlier analsyis showed that, among patients receiving doses of 150 million cells or higher, 94 percent responded…

Screening people with a family history of a multiple myeloma precursor would significantly reduce the chance that a person would develop and die of the cancer, a study reports. Scientists call the precursor monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, or MGUS. Its hallmark is an abnormal protein — known as monoclonal protein or…

The European Commission has extended Xgeva‘s (denosumab) approval for the prevention of bone lesions in multiple myeloma patients, Amgen, the medicine’s maker, announced. The injectable therapy, which already was approved for patients with bone metastases from solid tumors, is now indicated for the prevention of lesions in adults with advanced…

The combination of Revlimid (lenalidomide) and dexamethasone for the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma showed similar benefits in routine clinical practice as it did in the clinical trials that led to its approval, new research shows. The study, “Lenalidomide plus dexamethasone for patients with relapsed or…

Scientists have developed a new test that shortens the time it takes to assess the success of bone marrow transplants — to a few days instead of the two to four weeks required when using conventional blood tests. This is pivotal news for bone marrow transplant recipients, whose risk of…

Janssen Pharmaceuticals has requested the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) add a new indication for Darzalex (daratumumab) in combination with other therapies to treat patients with multiple myeloma who are not eligible for stem cell transplants. This follows a similar application to the European Medicines Agency…

Patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma lived roughly 3.6 months longer without their disease worsening when they received a once-weekly dose of Amgen’s Kyprolis (carfilzomib) compared to a twice-weekly dose, according to an interim analysis of a Phase 3 trial. Both treatment regimens included the administration of dexamethasone,…

Adding Venclexta (venetoclax) to Velcade (bortezomib) and dexamethasone has shown promising effectiveness and an acceptable safety profile in multiple myeloma patients who progressed during or after at least one prior therapy, data from a Phase 1b clinical trial show. Among patients who received a median of three prior therapies, 67%…

Multiple myeloma patients older than 65 years benefit as much as younger patients from autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT), according to a recent retrospective study. But although the study showed that progression-free survival (PFS) is as good in seniors as in younger patients, no evidence was found for similar survival…