Trending News Today: Multiple Myeloma Drug Achieves Clinically Meaningful Response Rate

Childhood cancer survivors are at an increased risk for developing cardiovascular diseases (CVD) due to both treatment and metabolic disorders, according to a report by The American Journal of Managed Care. A study published in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation showed a significant increase in risk of CVDs for childhood cancer survivors compared with non-cancer subjects, both 10 and 15 years after index, the article reported. The researchers found that survivors exposed to 250 or greater mg/m2 of anthracycline chemotherapy were at a statistically significant risk of CVD overall and heart failure in particular, which was not found in association with chest-directed radiation.

Baricitinib (Olumiant) has met primary endpoint marks in its most recent pivotal phase 3 trial designed to assess the Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor for the treatment of moderate to severe adult atopic dermatitis, according to a report by MD Magazine. Recent findings from the third phase 3 trial in the BREEZE-AD program, to be fully completed later this year, found baricitnib plus standard-of-care topical corticosteroids significantly improved patient disease severity per validated Investigator’s Global Assessment for atopic dermatitis (vIGA) score of “clear” or “almost clear” skin (vIGA 0, 1) at 16 weeks. At week 16, 23.9% and 30.6% of patients administered baracitnib 2 mg and 4 mg achieved vIGA 0 or 1, respectively (P≤ .01), whereas just 14.7% of patients administered placebo achieved either mark.

Belantamab mafodotin (GSK2857916), an anti-BCMA antibody-drug conjugate, met the primary endpoint of a clinically meaningful overall response rate (ORR) in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, according to a report by OncLive. The open-label phase II DREAMM-2 study randomized 196 patients with relapsed/refractory myeloma to receive 1 of 2 doses of belantamab mafodotin. Earlier this year, data from DREAMM-1 were reported as follows: Among heavily pretreated patients who were refractory to both an immunomodulatory agent and a proteasome inhibitor (n = 32), the median progression free survival (PFS) was 7.9 months (95% CI, 2.3¬—NE) and the ORR was 56.3%. In patients who did not receive prior treatment with daratumumab (Darzalex; n = 21), the ORR was 71.4% and the median PFS was 15.7 months (95% CI, 2.3–NE). Patients who were double refractory and were previously treated with daratumumab (n = 13) had a median PFS of 6.2 months (95% CI, 0.7-7.9) and an ORR of 38.5%.