New Drug Combination in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma
Posted: Friday, September 22, 2017
Combining elotuzumab with lenalidomide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone was found to be effective in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, according to research presented by Jacob Laubach, MD, MPP, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, at the 2017 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting (Abstract 8002).
Elotuzumab is already approved for use in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone for relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma. In this open-label, single-arm phase IIa study, investigators sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety of four cycles of elotuzumab in combination with subcutaneous bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who were eligible for autologous stem cell transplantation.
The investigators reported on response data from 29 of 41 patients enrolled in the study. The overall response rate after four cycles was 100%, with 24% achieving a complete response, 47% achieving a very good partial response, and 29% achieving a partial response; these totals added up to 71% of patients who achieved a very good partial response or better. The rate of high-grade toxicities was low, although two patients died while on the study: one due to complications of septicemia and the other due to respiratory failure.
