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Opinion: A Multiple Myeloma Patient’s Viewpoint On Randomized Clinical Trials – In the latest article published in the opinion section of The Myeloma Beacon, Dr. Jim Omel, a physician and multiple myeloma patient, wrote about how the clinical trial process could be changed to encourage greater par­tic­i­pa­tion among myeloma and other cancer patients. To receive a copy of all opinion articles when they are published or if you are interested in contributing an opinion piece, send an email to .

FDA Puts Carfilzomib On Fast Track For Treatment Of Multiple Myeloma – On January 31, Onyx Pharmaceuticals announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved fast-track designation for carfilzomib, a second-generation proteasome inhibitor that has shown promising anti-myeloma activity as a single agent and in com­bi­na­tion with Revlimid (lena­lido­mide) and low-dose dexamethasone (Decadron). The fast-track designation accelerates the review and approval process of drugs developed to treat serious or life-threatening illnesses. Onyx can now submit car­filz­o­mib’s New Drug Application to the FDA on a rolling basis. For more in­­for­ma­tion, please see the Onyx Pharmaceuticals press release.

Investigational Drug Siltuximab Enhances Melphalan Efficacy In Multiple Myeloma Cells – Pre-clinical results showed that the mono­clonal anti­body siltuximab (CNTO 328), which is being developed by Centocor Ortho Biotech, enhanced the activity of melphalan (Alkeran). Siltuximab increased mel­phalan’s toxicity to myeloma cells and neutralized interleukin-6, a protein that promotes growth and drug resistance of myeloma cells. Several clinical trials studying siltuximab in myeloma patients are ongoing. For more in­­for­ma­tion, please see the study in the British Journal of Haematology (abstract).

Investigational Drug BI 2536 Is Active Against Multiple Myeloma Cells – Results from a recently published study show that BI 2536, which is being developed by Boehringer Ingelheim, induces cell death in multiple myeloma cells. BI 2536 inhibits an enzyme called polo-like kinase 1, which regulates the cell cycle and has been asso­ci­ated with the devel­op­ment of many cancers.  Additionally, BI 2536 increased the efficacy of Velcade (bor­tez­o­mib) and dexa­meth­a­sone in these cell lines. The study authors concluded that the results suggest BI 2536 should be studied in clinical trials for multiple myeloma. For more in­­for­ma­tion, please see the study in the journal Experimental Hematology (abstract).

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Myeloma Experts From Ohio State University To Field Questions At The Beacon Forums Next Week – As a way of giving multiple myeloma patients an opportunity to get expert answers to their myeloma-related questions, The Myeloma Beacon has arranged for physicians from The Ohio State University’s Myeloma Clinic to answer medical questions posted to the Beacon forums during the upcoming week. The center has a number of young, enthusiastic myeloma specialists who are eager to answer forum readers’ questions. One of the experts, Dr. Craig Hofmeister, has already provided answers to a number of forum questions. Readers are encouraged to begin posting their questions to the forums.

Boehringer Ingelheim And Micromet Announce Cooperation For Experimental Multiple Myeloma Treatment – Boehringer Ingelheim and Micromet announced last week that they will collaborate on the development of BiTE antibodies for the treatment of multiple myeloma. BiTE antibodies, which were discovered by Micromet, target the body’s immune system toward tumor cells. The two companies will conduct pre-clinical studies together. Boehringer Ingelheim will be responsible for the clinical development of the treatment. For more information, please see the Boehringer Ingelheim press release.

Celebrity Michael McKean Wins $1 Million On Jeopardy! For International Myeloma Foundation – Michael McKean, a film and television show actor, writer, and director, was the champion of last week’s Jeopardy! celebrity tournament. McKean donated the grand prize of $1 million to the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) to be used for patient and family education programs as well as multiple myeloma research. For more information, please see the IMF press release.