Triplet regi­men resulted in sig­nif­i­cantly im­proved pro­gres­sion-free survival compared to standard of treat­ment

Summit, NJ (Press Release) – Celgene Corpo­ra­tion (NASDAQ:CELG) today announced that the addi­tion of bor­tez­o­mib to REVLIMID (lena­lido­mide) and low-dose dex­a­meth­a­sone (RVd), the standard of myeloma ther­apy, sig­nif­i­cantly im­proved pro­gres­sion-free survival (PFS) compared to lena­lido­mide and low-dose dex­a­meth­a­sone (Rd) in patients newly-diagnosed with multiple myeloma. The phase 3 study was conducted by SWOG, a publicly funded inter­na­tional cancer clin­i­cal trials network and presented at the 57th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting.

In the 471-patient study, patients receiving RVd achieved a median PFS of 43 months compared to a median PFS of …

Initial results of a German clinical trial con­firm pre­vi­ous find­ings that sub­cu­ta­ne­ous (under-the-skin) injections of Velcade for the treat­ment of myeloma lead to fewer side effects – but similar over­all response rates – com­pared to intra­ve­nous (IV) infusions of the drug.

The trial results also indicate, however, that IV adminis­tra­tion of Velcade may lead to deeper treat­ment responses when patients are given the drug for a limited number of treat­ment cycles.

The German trial is notable not just because it is the largest study to date that has directly compared sub­cu­ta­ne­ous and IV Velcade. …

Boudry, Switzerland (Press Release) – Celgene Inter­na­tional Sàrl, a wholly owned sub­sid­i­ary of Celgene Corpo­ra­tion (NASDAQ: CELG), today announced that the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has adopted a positive opinion for continuous oral treat­ment with REVLIMID^® in adult patients with pre­vi­ously untreated multiple myeloma who are not eli­gible for stem cell trans­plan­ta­tion.

The CHMP reviews appli­ca­tions for all 28 member states in the European Union (EU), as well as Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland. The European Com­mis­sion, which generally follows the recom­men­da­tion of the CHMP, is ex­pec­ted to make its final de­ci­sion in approx­i­mately …

French researchers earlier this week published updated results of a small Phase 2 clinical trial testing the combination of Revlimid, Velcade, and dexa­metha­sone (RVD) in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma pa­tients.

The researchers found that RVD, when given before and after stem cell trans­plan­ta­tion – and when followed by maintenance therapy with Rev­limid – led to very deep treatment responses and significant survival rates.

The 31 newly diagnosed patients in the French trial initially were treated with three cycles of RVD therapy.  Next, the trial participants underwent autologous (own) stem cell transplants, followed …

London (Press Release) - People newly diag­nosed with the blood cancer multiple myeloma will now be guaranteed access to bor­tez­o­mib, also known as Velcade.

Multiple myeloma develops from cells in the bone marrow. Almost 4,000 cases are diag­nosed every year in the UK. There is cur­rently no cure; there are only treat­ments to stop its progress and relieve symp­toms.

NICE's independent experts examined the use of bor­tez­o­mib for newly diag­nosed patients who are eli­gible for high-dose chemo­ther­apy and who are suitable for bone marrow trans­plant (haematopoietic stem cell trans­plan­ta­tion). The experts were looking …

One of the key presentations during the recent American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting in New Orleans was one that summarized initial results of a large international Phase 3 clinical trial known as the "FIRST", or MM-020, trial.

The trial results show that continuous administration of Revlimid and dex­a­meth­a­sone improves response rates as well as progression-free and overall survival in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients who are older or not eligible for stem cell transplantation.

Specifically, the researchers found that the overall response rate was highest (75 percent) among patients who received …

Monday was the third day of this year’s meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH).  The day was filled with oral presentation sessions from early in the morning until into the evening.

In the afternoon and early evening, there were six oral presentation sessions devoted solely to multiple myeloma and a number of other myeloma-related presentations scattered about the afternoon.  The topics of these presentations ranged from the biology of myeloma to treat­ment options for newly diag­nosed, re­lapsed and refractory, and older patients.

This ASH update highlights most of the oral …