Follow-up testing on Empliciti, a therapy for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma that is developed and manufactured by New York pharmaceutical corporation Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., saw improved survival rates for patients.
Empliciti is indicated for patients who have tried one to three other therapies without success.
The trial, ELOQUENT-2, involved patients treated with Empliciti in combination with Revlimid (lenalidomide) and dexamethasone (ERd). Results indicated that patients treated with Empliciti experience increased patients' interim survival.
When combined, the therapies delayed the need for other treatment by an average of one year. The trial showed Empliciti's hazard ration to be low at 0.73.
Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer that forms in the bone marrow. The disease develops when a plasma cell becomes cancerous and multiplies.
Results from the Empliciti trial were presented by Bristol-Myers Squibb researchers at the recent 57th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition in Orlando, Florida.
“The Empliciti extended follow-up results provide physicians with additional insight into the potential benefit this new treatment may offer patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma,” Dr. Paul Richardson, director of clinical research at the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center, said. “Empliciti represents a new approach in multiple myeloma treatment of directly activating the body’s immune system, and it is very encouraging to see these data demonstrate the efficacy benefit persisted in some patients up to three years, allowing patients to live longer without experiencing disease progression.”
Empliciti received FDA approval on Nov. 30.
“The extended follow-up and overall survival data presented at ASH for our immunostimulatory antibody, Empliciti, reinforce our commitment to helping improve outcomes for patients with multiple myeloma,” Dr. Michael Giordano, head of development at Bristol-Myers Squibb, said. “These data further demonstrate Empliciti as combination therapy provides improved efficacy compared to lenalidomide and dexamethasone alone.”
