Blood Cancer

Darzalex (daratumumab) is a monoclonal antibody drug currently approved for both refractory and new multiple myeloma. It’s available in intravenous and subcutaneous formulations.

This decision may lead to faster approval of new treatments for multiple myeloma.

A recent study published in NEJM Evidence suggests that minority patients may not have equal access to CAR T-cell therapies, despite the potential life-saving benefits they offer.

The decision comes after the FDA Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee provided a unanimous vote recommending approval. Carvykti is now available to treat patients after just one prior line of therapy.

The chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CART-T) therapy is now approved to treat patients with multiple myeloma after two prior lines of therapy.

Last week, BMS announced that the FDA Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) has voted in favor of BMS’s and 2seventy bio's Abecma (idecabtagene vicleucel) for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma in earlier lines of therapy.

The accelerated approval of Iclusig for patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and with the Philadelphia chromosome was based on a surrogate endpoint. Iclusig has a list price of $20,831 for 30 tablets.

The trial evaluated Adcetris in combination with Revlimid and Rituxan compared to Revlimid and Rituxan plus placebo in adult patients with relapsed/refractory DLBCL who have received two or more prior lines of therapy and are ineligible for stem cell transplant or CAR-T therapy.

Mutations in the FLT3 gene are common in AML, occurring in around 30% of cases, and tend to be associated with poorer outcomes.

A study suggests that a novel CAR T-cell therapy could be a curative treatment for some patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, with 25% of responders still in remission after 6 years.

Linvoseltamab is bispecific antibody designed to treat relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. The FDA’s target action date is Aug. 22, 2024

Future interventions for improving disparities should be aimed at improving overall access to care for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma.

Imbruvica is an oral medication prescribed to treat certain B-cell malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) and Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia.

The development of new and improved therapeutic agents has improved the treatment outcomes for MM over the past few decades. It remains unclear whether these racial disparities have persisted in the era of novel agents.

The FDA orders new warnings for CAR-T cell therapies due to reports of T-cell malignancies, including fatal cases, applying to BCMA- and CD19-directed genetically modified autologous T-cell immunotherapies.

Those who suffer from obesity, heavy smoking and short sleep have a higher chance of developing mass spectrometry (MS) and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), which can often lead to multiple myeloma.

The outlook for leukemia patients improved after Gleevec (imatinib) was approved in 2001 as a treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia. The American Cancer Society published its annual cancer statistics report today that projects 62,770 new cases of leukemia will be diagnosed this year and 23,670 deaths from the disease will occur.

Results for Amgen’s Blincyto (blinatumomab) suggest it has efficacy as a treatment for Philadelphia chromosome-negative B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Researcher modeling the cost effectiveness of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR-T) therapy and antibody conjugate found that they fell short.

The Covid-19 pandemic revealed the advantages of treatment that involved fewer in-person office visits, according to research presented at American Society of Hematology meeting earlier this month. Researchers also saw a notable increase in the use of Darzalex (daratumumab).

Johnson & Johnson’s Tecvayli (teclistamab-cqyv) has been approved by the FDA, and Pfizer’s elranatamab received breakthrough status that should speed its approval. Bispecific antibodies may be a bridge to CAR-T treatments or an alternative to them.

The younger Black patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) had “alarmingly high” early death rates within the first 30 days of study enrollment, indicating possible delays in diagnosis and care, according to research results reported in the journal Blood Advances.

Positive results for Adcetris (brentuximab vedotin) were reported in The New England Journal of Medicine. Further research will include a look at the cost effectiveness of Adcetris.

The FDA approved Tecvayli (teclistamab) yesterday after approving two CAR-T therapies as late-line treatments for multiple myeloma earlier this year. Because it is ‘off the shelf,’ Tecvayli may have advantages over the CAR-T therapies, which are custom made for each patient and involve harvesting the patient's T cells.

Durability and toxicities such as cytokine release syndrome and immune effector-cell neurotoxicity syndrome are among the challenges.

The study looked at cancer patients as a group, but senior author notes that ‘that treatments for blood cancers are very costly and many of them require treatment for long periods of time.’