Activating T Cells With Talquetamab to Treat Multiple Myeloma
Posted: Monday, January 10, 2022
Subcutaneous talquetamab, a bispecific IgG antibody, appears to be both well tolerated and effective in the treatment of resistant multiple myeloma. Talquetamab redirects T cells to kill multiple myeloma cells by targeting G protein–coupled receptor family C group 5 member D and CD3. Amrita Y. Krishnan, MD, of the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, California, presented these updates from a phase I trial at the 2021 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition (Abstract 158).
Researchers reported the results of 95 patients with multiple myeloma who had relapsed, were refractory to multiple therapies, or intolerant of standard therapies. The patients included in this analysis were treated with subcutaneous talquetamab in doses ranging from 5 to 800 µg/kg weekly or biweekly. The recommended phase II doses were defined as a weekly dose of 405 µg/kg of talquetamab subcutaneously with step-up doses (n = 30) or biweekly dosing of 800 µg/kg of subcutaneous talquetamab with step-up (n = 23).
Among the 30 patients who received the 405-µg/kg dose, the overall response rate was 70%. In the 17 response-evaluable patients in the 800-µg/kg dosing group, the overall response rate was similar, at 71%. The responses were durable in both groups and deepened over time, the investigators noted. The 6-month duration of response to weekly injections was 67%, and the median duration of response was not yet reached in either group. Pharmacodynamic data showed activation of peripheral T cells and induction of cytokines, consistent with talquetamab’s mechanism of action.
The most common adverse events seen in the cohort receiving 405 µg/kg of talquetamab were cytokine-release syndrome (73%), neutropenia (67%), and dysgeusia (60%). Skin-related adverse events were seen in 77% of these patients, and 37% experienced infections. At the 800-µg/kg dose level, cytokine-release syndrome occurred in 78% of patients.
Disclosures: For a full list of authors’ disclosures, visit ash.confex.com.
