Articles tagged with: Revlimid
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It’s July, and we have had some time to digest the findings from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting held in Chicago May 30 through June 3.
Quite a few presentations caught one’s eye.
We finally saw the results of the much awaited PANORAMA-1 study investigating the efficacy and safety of panobinostat (LBH589) plus Velcade and dexamethasone compared to Velcade and dexamethasone alone.
Exciting data on the CD38 antibodies daratumumab and SAR650984 continued to emerge at ASCO.
Another study looked at a progression-free …
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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 …
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This year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting began yesterday morning in Chicago and will run through Tuesday.
Myeloma-related presentations were made during two sessions yesterday.
One session was designed to better educate physicians about personalized therapy for elderly patients with lymphoid malignancies. During that session, Dr. Tanya Marya Wildes from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis talked about how to navigate treatment options for older multiple myeloma patients.
The key myeloma-related research presented yesterday was made public during a poster session in the afternoon about studies …
News»

The American Society of Clinical Oncology will hold its 50th annual meeting May 30 through June 3 in Chicago.
Similar to previous years, more than 25,000 physicians and researchers from all over the world are expected to attend the five-day meeting to discuss the current research in cancer treatment and care.
During the meeting, there will be presentations about all areas of cancer, including many focused specifically on multiple myeloma. The ASCO website currently lists information about more than 60 myeloma-related studies (included under either the "multiple myeloma" or "plasma cell …
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Celgene Submits Revlimid For Approval As First-Line Therapy – The pharmaceutical company Celgene has announced that it has filed applications with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) seeking official approval of Revlimid (lenalidomide) as a treatment for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. The application with the FDA was filed in April, while the EMA application was filed in February. Analysts expect the agencies to reach decisions on the applications by the middle of next year. Revlimid currently has regulatory approval in the U.S. and Europe for use in relapsed and refractory myeloma. However, Revlimid – alone or in combination with other anti-myeloma agents – is often used for the treatment of newly diagnosed patients in the United States, where such “off-label” prescribing is legally permitted. Because off-label prescribing is less common outside the U.S., a positive EMA decision in regard to the Revlimid application could significantly expand the drug's use in Europe. For more information, please see the Celgene press release regarding its 2014 first quarter earnings.
U.K. Agency Approves Velcade For Newly Diagnosed Myeloma – The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), the agency that sets treatment guidelines for the U.K.'s National Health Service in England and Wales, earlier this week approved the use of Velcade (bortezomib) in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients eligible for stem cell transplantation. The decision specifies that Velcade is to be given in combination with dexamethasone (Decadron) or with dexamethasone and thalidomide (Thalomid). This week's NICE decision supplements a 2011 decision regarding the use of Velcade in newly diagnosed patients ineligible for transplantation. For those patients, however, NICE has approved the use of Velcade only if a patient cannot tolerate treatment with thalidomide (see related Beacon news). For more information, see the NICE press release.
New Formulation Of IV Melphalan Meets Primary Endpoint In Key Phase 2 Trial – The pharmaceutical company Spectrum Pharmaceuticals announced earlier this week that its Phase 2 pivotal trial of a new formulation of intravenous melphalan (Alkeran) met its primary endpoint. Given the results of the trial, the company is expected to file an application with the FDA during the third quarter of this year requesting permission to market the drug in the United States. The new formulation of melphalan, which Spectrum calls "Captisol-enabled melphalan", does not include propylene glycol, a chemical that has been reported to have heart- and kidney-related side effects. The Captisol technology also improves the stability of Spectrum's melphalan formulation. Together, the improved stability and lack of propylene glycol may allow Spectrum's formulation to be administered at doses higher than can be safely achieved with currently available melphalan formulations. Captisol technology also is used in the formulation of Kyprolis (carfilzomib). The primary endpoint in the pivotal Phase 2 trial of propylene gylcol-free melphalan was overall safety. The drug was tested at a dose of 200 mg/m2 in myeloma patients undergoing autologous (own) stem cell transplantation. Currently available formulations of melphalan also are typically dosed at 200 mg/m2 dose when they are used during the stem cell transplant process. For more information, please see the Spectrum Pharmaceuticals press release.
News, Opinion»

The Beacon is pleased to introduce our newest myeloma thought leader columnist, Dr. Ravi Vij. Every three months, Dr. Vij will share with us a new edition of “The Myeloma Quiz,” which will test your knowledge and understanding of the myeloma-related research published during the previous several months.
We hope you will join us in welcoming Dr. Vij to the Beacon community, and in thanking him for sharing with us his valuable perspectives.
The relentless grind in the battle against myeloma continues. The last several months have seen some major presentations …
Opinion»

Remember Love Canal?
If you came of age in the 1970s or earlier in the United States, you surely remember Love Canal.
Love Canal was a neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York, built atop a chemical waste dump that had been closed and covered with dirt in the early 1950s. An elementary school was built first, followed soon by the houses.
Even though residents soon started noticing odd smells and oily substances leaching up into the playground, it wasn’t until 1976 that the dump, after unusually heavy rains and winter weather, …