I’m very excited to bring you today’s exciting topic: new treatment options for multiple myeloma; I hope it piques your interest!
I always enjoy scanning the oncology journals and oncology-news websites in search of new information to bring you. Today’s post comes from a slightly different, but equally worthwhile, source: conference news.
If you attended the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Hematology (ASH) last December, then you might have noticed some exciting clinical-trial news about the treatment of multiple myeloma, especially for patients that have relapsed and/or are refractory to chemotherapies such as bortezomib. I covered a few such trials in a news-oriented feature article that was published on ChemotherapyAdvisor.com last week. If you missed the presentations at ASH or just need a refresher, I invite you to give the article a read by clicking here: Expanded Treatment Landscape for Multiple Myeloma.
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The article focused on two drugs: Vorinostat (Zolinza) and Carfilzomib (PR-171). Vorinostat, an oral histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor manufactured by Merck that was previously approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, has shown promising activity in patients with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma and is currently in Phase 3 trials for this disease. The Phase 3 trial compares several outcome measures and the safety profile of vorinostat alone or in combination with bortezomib in 637 participants with progressive multiple myeloma and was presented by Merck as Abstract No. 811 at ASH.
Onyx Pharmaceuticals announced Phase 2 trial results for Carfilzomib (PR-171) at ASH 2011. Carfilzomib, a next-generation proteasome inhibitor being evaluated alone, as part of combination therapy, and as maintenance therapy for multiple myeloma, was the subject of multiple poster sessions and oral presentations at the meeting. One oral presentation (Abstract No. 813) was titled “Final Results from the Bortezomib-Naive Group of PX-171-004, a Phase 2 Study of Single-Agent Carfilzomib in Patients with Relapsed and/or Refractory Multiple Myeloma.” Participants received a regimen containing either a uniform dose of carfilzomib or an escalating dose. Dosing continued for a maximum of twelve 28-day cycles until the primary endpoint of best overall response rate (ORR) was reached. Participants that received a uniform dose had a better ORR than those that received an escalating dose. Carfilzomib is currently in Phase 3 clinical trials.
Are you (or will you be) treating your multiple myeloma patients with Vorinostat or Carfilzomib? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below! If you have a case study or a more extended response to this subject, click here to submit an item for us to publish.
