BCMA-Targeted Immunoconjugate for Resistant Multiple Myeloma
Posted: Wednesday, January 8, 2020
The immunoconjugate belantamab mafodotin has led to durable responses in some heavily pretreated patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, according to the phase II DREAMM-2 study published in The Lancet Oncology. Almost one-third of patients achieved a partial response or better when treated with the experimental immunotherapy that targets the B-cell maturation antigen.
“Our data show this therapy can make a difference for patients with multiple myeloma who have exhausted all other options, including other antibody therapies,” explained Adam D. Cohen, MD, of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, in a Penn Medicine press release.
The open-label, international study recruited patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma with disease progression after three or more lines of therapy. They were randomly assigned to receive either 2.5 mg/kg (n = 97) or 3.4 mg/kg (n = 99) of belantamab mafodotin by intravenous infusion every 3 weeks on day 1 of each cycle until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
Of the 196 patients enrolled, 30 patients in the 2.5-mg/kg cohort (31%) and 34 patients in the 3.4-mg/kg cohort (34%) achieved an overall response. Of the patients in the 2.5-mg/kg and 3.4-mg/kg dosing groups who responded to therapy, 18 and 20 patients, respectively, had a very good partial response or better.
As for safety, the most common grade 3 and 4 adverse events in the 2.5-mg/kg and 3.4-mg/kg cohorts were keratopathy (27% vs. 21%), thrombocytopenia (20% vs. 33%), and anemia (20% vs. 25%). Two deaths were potentially related to treatment. “Overall, the side effects are manageable with appropriate supportive care, and the fact that this treatment can be given once every 3 weeks as an outpatient infusion means this could be a convenient and beneficial therapy for multiple myeloma patients,” concluded Dr. Cohen.
Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit thelancet.com.
