On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Pomalyst (pomalidomide) for the treatment of multiple myeloma patients who have received at least two prior therapies (see related Beacon news).

In this article, The Beacon addresses important questions multiple myeloma patients have been asking about the FDA decision.  The article is organized similarly to one the Beacon published about Kyprolis (carfilzomib) after it …

Throughout 2012, multiple myeloma patients and caregivers have continued to graciously share their personal experiences with myeloma in columns they wrote for The Beacon.

In the past year, there was a new addition to The Beacon's columnists, who began her column describing the events leading up to her diagnosis. Several columnists took a chronological approach and wrote about their recent myeloma-related happenings, including recent lab results, changes to their current treatment regimen, or how they have been doing lately.   …

Early in 2012, The Myeloma Beacon published its first annual review of the previous year's most popular news articles.  The review described 2011 as a year "filled with important multiple myeloma-related news."

The same can be said for 2012.

During 2012, a new drug, Kyprolis, was approved for the treatment of multiple myeloma; researchers presented new findings about other potential new treatments; experts learned more about the factors that influence a patient's prognosis; second cancers as a results …

This year’s meeting of the American Society of He­ma­tol­ogy (ASH) was held De­cem­ber 8 through 11 in Atlanta.

During the meeting, The Beacon pub­lished daily up­dates that provided overviews of the im­por­tant mul­ti­ple myeloma findings pre­sented during the meeting.  After the meeting concluded, The Beacon began pub­lishing in-depth articles about the key re­search findings.

This article, how­ever, shifts the focus to the bigger picture: What were the key findings of the meeting? Were there re­­sults …

ARRY-520 is one of several potential new anti-myeloma agents that was highlighted at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting earlier this week.

Initial results from two clinical trials show promise for ARRY-520 (filanesib), alone or in com­bi­na­tion with other myeloma drugs, as a thera­peutic option for heavily pretreated multiple myeloma patients.

“ARRY-520 shows promising activity in com­bi­na­tion with dexa­meth­a­sone in heavily pretreated myeloma patients,” said Dr. Jatin Shah, from the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and …

During the upcoming annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), which will be held December 8 through 11 in Atlanta, results will be presented from clin­i­cal trials involving a number of poten­tial new drugs under devel­op­ment for the treat­ment of multiple myeloma.

In particular, results for newer, lesser known agents that are in the early stages of clin­i­cal devel­op­ment will take center stage. These agents in­clude ARRY-520 (filanesib), BHQ880, circularly permuted TRAIL, daratumumab, dinaciclib, …

Interim results from a Phase 3 clinical trial indicate that pomalidomide plus low-dose dexamethasone extends the progression-free and overall survival of relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma patients, as compared to high-dose dexamethasone alone.

The results are from a European clinical trial known as MM-003.  The trial includes multiple myeloma patients who relapsed or did not respond to at least two prior therapies.  Half of the patients were treated with poma­lido­mide (Pomalyst) plus low-dose dexamethasone (Decadron), and …