Idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel), a novel CAR-T therapy, has produced positive results in a Phase II trial against multiple myeloma. The multi-institutional study, led by scientists from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (MA, USA), has led to remissions in almost 75% of patients who had previously relapsed. These results are significantly better than those seen in currently available therapies.

Their results were recently published in the journal, New England Journal of Medicine.

“Despite numerous advances in the treatment of multiple myeloma, relapses are common. Patients whose disease continues to worsen after receiving standard therapy have relatively few treatment options that provide high response rates,” explained trial leader, Nikhil Munshi (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute). “The results of this trial represent a true turning point in the treatment of this disease. In my 30 years of treating myeloma, I have not seen any other therapy as effective in this group of patients.”

Current treatments for myeloma include three main classes of therapy: immunomodulatory drugs, proteasome inhibitors and anti-CD38 antibodies. However, patients who are resistant to these approaches are in urgent need of better treatments.

As with all CAR-T therapies, ide-cel involves removing the patient’s own T cells and modifying them to target cancer cells before they are infused back into the patient. In the case of ide-cel, the T cells are modified to target the B-cell maturation antigen, a protein on myeloma cells responsible for their growth and survival.

Of the 128 patients in their trial, 73% displayed a measurable reduction in their cancer and 33% exhibited a complete response or better. Within the latter group, 79% of patients displayed no myeloma at all. What’s more, the median progression-free survival was 8–9 months.

When these results are compared to current therapies – which typically have a response rate of 25–30%, and a progression-free survival of 3–4 months – it’s clear that ide-cel therapy is incredibly promising.

Encouraged by the positive results seen in their trial, the team have submitted an application to the US FDA requesting the approval of ide-cel to treat patients with relapsed or treatment-resistant myeloma.

Link: https://www.regmednet.com/novel-car-t-therapy-sees-success-in-treatment-resistant-myeloma-patients/