Biotest AG Starts Clinical Trial Of BT-062 Combination Therapy – The German pharma­ceu­tical com­pany Biotest AG has begun a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of BT-062 in com­bi­na­tion with Revlimid (lena­lido­mide) and dexamethasone (Decadron) in patients with re­lapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma. BT-062 consists of a chemotherapeutic drug com­bined with an anti­body that helps deliver the drug to myeloma and other cancer cells. BT-062 alone has dem­onstrated anti-myeloma activity and good tolerability in re­lapsed and refractory myeloma patients. Furthermore, preclinical studies have shown BT-062 to be more effective when com­bined with Revlimid. For more in­­for­ma­tion, please see the Biotest AG press release and the clinical trial description.

Kyprolis And Oprozomib May Decrease Bone Damage In Multiple Myeloma – The results of a preclinical study suggest that Kyprolis (carfilzomib) and oprozomib may prevent bone loss in multiple myeloma. Kyprolis and oprozomib are both being developed by Onyx Pharmaceuticals, and both belong to the same class of drugs as Velcade (bor­tez­o­mib), known as proteasome inhibitors. Kyprolis was approved last week by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treat­ment of people with multiple myeloma who have received at least two prior ther­a­pies (see related Beacon news). Oprozomib, which will be admin­istered orally, is still in the early clinical devel­op­ment phase. In this study, researchers found that car­filz­o­mib and oprozomib enhanced bone formation and decreased bone destruction in healthy mice. Additionally, in mice with multiple myeloma, treat­ment with car­filz­o­mib or oprozomib resulted in a smaller tumor burden and prevented bone destruction. For more in­­for­ma­tion, please see the study in Leukemia (abstract).

NDC May Overcome Multidrug Resistance And Prevent Doxorubicin-Induced Heart Disease In Myeloma Patients – The results of a recent preclinical study show that a doxorubicin-curcumin com­­pound called NanoDoxCurc (NDC) may overcome resistance to doxorubicin (Adriamycin) while preventing treat­ment-related heart disease. Doxorubicin is a common anticancer agent that becomes less effective in cancer cells demonstrating multidrug resistance. In higher doses, doxorubicin can overcome multidrug resistance, but is also asso­ci­ated with heart disease. In this study, NDC-treated mice with multiple myeloma dem­onstrated lower tumor burdens than mice treated with doxorubicin alone. Furthermore, mice treated with NDC did not experience heart com­pli­ca­tions. The study investigators believe these findings indicate that NDC may be a safe and long-lasting cancer ther­apy. For more in­­for­ma­tion, please see the study in Oncotarget.

BCMA Levels May Be A Disease Marker In Multiple Myeloma – In a recent study, researchers found that B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) levels in the blood are elevated in multiple myeloma patients and are asso­ci­ated with disease status and over­all survival. BCMAs can be found on the surface of both normal and cancerous B-cells, a type of white blood cell. In the current study, BCMA levels in the blood were higher in multiple myeloma patients compared to those in healthy adults. Furthermore, patients with progressive disease dem­onstrated higher BCMA levels than those who were responsive to treat­ment. After a median follow-up time of 11 months, patients with BCMA levels above the median had shorter over­all survival times than patients below the median. For more in­­for­ma­tion, please see the study in the British Journal of Haematology (abstract).