News»

As the third day of the 2011 American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting came to an end, attendees could look back on an agenda that featured presentations about a wide range of potential new myeloma ther­a­pies.

The afternoon myeloma sessions were focused, in fact, on potential new ther­a­pies.

The Beacon's pre­vi­ous ASH 2011 update covered the afternoon presentations about carfilzomib and pomalidomide, two potential myeloma ther­a­pies that are in the late stages of devel­op­ment.

This update covers the afternoon's presentations about four other potential new myeloma ther­a­pies -- MLN9708, panobinostat, …

NewsFlash »

Perifosine Combination Therapy May Be An Effective Treatment Option For Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma - Recently published results from a multicenter Phase 1/2 clinical trial demonstrate that the addition of perifosine to a Velcade (bortezomib) and dexamethasone (Decadron) regimen is effective and safe in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma patients.   The results were previously presented at the American Society of Hematology’s (ASH) 51st Annual Meeting in 2009.  The novel combination showed promising response rates in heavily pretreated patients, particularly those relapsed or refractory to Velcade treatment. Additionally, the treatment regimen resulted in few side effects. A Phase 3 clinical trial comparing a perifosine and Velcade plus dexamethasone regimen to Velcade and dexamethasone in relaspsed/refractory patients is currently underway.  For a more detailed summary of the results, please see the Beacon’s coverage of the ASH presentation or the study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology  (abstract).

Preclinical Study Shows Tysabri Decreases Multiple Myeloma Cell Growth – Results of a recent preclinical study showed that the drug Tysabri (natalizumab) inhibited growth of multiple myeloma cells and sensitized myeloma cells to Velcade. Tysabri is currently approved for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and Crohn’s disease. Based on these results, the study authors suggested clinical studies for the evaluation of Tysabri in combination with novel agents such as Velcade. For more information, please see the article in the British Journal of Haematology (abstract).

Enrollment For Masitinib Clinical Trial Begins - The pharmaceutical company AB Science has started recruiting multiple myeloma patients for a Phase 3 trial of its investigational drug masitinib. Masitinib works by impairing several factors required for growth in tumor cells and has already shown promise in clinical trials for pancreatic cancer.  The current trial is designed to study the efficacy and safety of masitinib in combination with Velcade and dexamethasone in relapsed multiple myeloma patients who have received one previous therapy.  Nearly 300 patients will be enrolled across 75 national and international centers.  Masitinib, sold in the U.S. under the brand name Kinavet, already has a conditional approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for certain skin tumors in dogs.  For more information on patient enrollment for the masitinib myeloma clinical trial, please see the AB Science press release.

News»

[ by Melissa Cobleigh and | Oct 19, 2011 12:55 pm | 11 Comments ]

Earlier this year, an inter­na­tional group of myeloma experts pub­lished a review of ongoing re­search into new myeloma treat­ments.  This review not only described a wide range of po­ten­tial new myeloma treat­ments, but also in­cluded the experts' thoughts on where re­search into new treat­ments should go in the future.

Given the recent new drug appli­ca­tion for car­filz­o­mib and the upcoming annual meeting of the American Society of He­ma­tol­ogy -- which undoubtedly will host dis­cus­sions of many po­ten­tial new myeloma treat­ments -- it seems an appro­pri­ate time to go back to the experts' review from …

News, Opinion»

Each year at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of He­ma­tol­ogy we hear about dozens of new drugs that are able to annihilate mul­ti­ple myeloma cells in the test tube and in animal models. Unfortunately, at the same meeting, we also sit through pre­sen­ta­tions and walk by posters of drugs that looked hot in the laboratory but then fail to work when given to real patients with myeloma.

This is not new. It has been the story with myeloma for ages. The myeloma cells are smart and are seemingly able to …

NewsFlash »

Aeterna Zentaris And Yakult Honsha Sign Licensing Agreement For Myeloma Drug Perifosine – Canadian drug developer Aeterna Zentaris signed a licensing agreement with the Japanese company Yakult Honsha last week for the development, commercialization, and marketing of the cancer drug perifosine in the Japanese market. Under the terms of the agreement, Aeterna Zentaris will receive an upfront payment of US $8.3 million, up to US $60.9 million in milestone payments, and royalty payments on sales in Japan. Perifosine is an oral anti-cancer treatment that is currently being investigated in two Phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of myeloma and colorectal cancer in Europe and the United States. It works by interfering with the cell membrane in myeloma cells to promote cell death. For more information, please see the Aeterna Zentaris press release.

Disruption Of Src Enzyme Results In Increased Myeloma Cell Death – Pre-clinical results showed that inactivation of the Src enzyme in myeloma cell lines caused increased self-induced myeloma cell death. The Src enzyme is necessary for Chk1 inhibitors, molecules that bind to the Chk1 enzyme, to allow myeloma cells to divide by following a route called the EKR1/2 pathway. Disruption of Src prevented Chk1 inhibitors from activating this pathway, inhibiting myeloma cell division and increasing the anti-myeloma properties of Chk1 inhibitors. For more information, please see the study in the journal Blood (abstract). 

Multiple Myeloma Patient Program On March 22 And March 26 – Millennium Pharmaceuticals, the maker of Velcade (bortezomib), is hosting two free educational events for myeloma patients to ask questions for myeloma specialists and to connect with others who have been affected by myeloma. The programs will be held in Kansas City, MO, on March 22 and in Linthicum, MD, on March 26. Patients may register by calling 1-866-508-6181.

Living With Myeloma Conference On March 26 – The Arizona Myeloma Network is hosting a free regional conference on March 26 at the Scottsdale Marriott for myeloma patients, their families, and caregivers. Myeloma researchers, physicians, and healthcare professionals will present current information about myeloma. The conference aims to facilitate discussion of up-to-date myeloma research and to increase understanding about the disease for patients to make better treatment choices. For more information, please see the Arizona Myeloma Network website.

For a more detailed listing of myeloma-related events, please check the Myeloma Beacon Events Calendar.

News»

[ by Julie Shilane | Feb 28, 2011 11:40 am | 10 Comments ]

Dr. Kenneth Anderson, a world-renowned myeloma spe­cialist, physician and re­searcher at Dana-Farber Cancer In­sti­tute, and Kraft Family Pro­fessor at Harvard Medical School, spoke with The Myeloma Beacon about his ap­proach to treating mul­ti­ple myeloma patients.

This article is the sec­ond part of a two-part series based on The Myeloma Beacon’s interview with Dr. Anderson.  It will cover Dr. Anderson’s thoughts on where myeloma treat­ment is headed in the com­ing years.  For more in­­for­ma­tion on Dr. Anderson’s cur­rent ap­proach to treating mul­ti­ple myeloma, please see part one of this series.

Emerging Therapies …

Press Releases»