Articles tagged with: Velcade
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Subcutaneous Velcade Gets Positive Opinion From European Advisory Committee – An advisory committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has granted a positive opinion recommending European approval of subcutaneous Velcade (bortezomib). The committee’s decision was based on results of a Phase 3 study demonstrating that subcutaneous Velcade is as effective as intravenous Velcade but associated with fewer and less serious side effects. Updated, longer-term results of the Phase 3 study were recently published in the journal Hematologica (abstract). The EMA is expected to decide whether or not to approve subcutaneous Velcade within 30 to 60 days. For information, see the press release from Janssen-Cilag, the company that markets Velcade in Europe.
Oxycontin May Reduce Peripheral Neuropathic Pain After Velcade Treatment – Results from an Italian study suggest that treatment with the pain medication Oxycontin (controlled-release oxycodone) may help control Velcade-induced peripheral neuropathic pain that is unresponsive to other pain killers. The 62 myeloma and lymphoma patients who participated in the study reported an average reduction in pain intensity from 7.6 to 1.3 (on an 11-point rating scale) after two weeks of Oxycontin treatment. The frequency of brief pain was also reduced with Oxycontin treatment. About 75 percent of the study participants found the treatment very effective or effective; 51 percent experienced slight or mild side effects. For more information, see the related journal article in Supportive Care in Cancer (abstract).
Ibrutinib (PCI-32765) Shows Activity Against Multiple Myeloma – Results from a preclinical study suggest that the investigational drug ibrutinib (PCI-32765) is active in multiple myeloma. Ibrutinib blocks activity of an enzyme called Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (Btk). Btk is present both in antibody-producing cells and in cells called osteoclasts that remove bone tissue. Ibrutinib, which is being developed by the California-based biotech company Pharmacyclics together with Johnson & Johnson, is being investigated as a potential treatment for a number of different blood cancers. Two Phase 3 clinical trials of the drug in leukemia and lymphoma patients are about to start, and a Phase 2 trial in myeloma patients is ongoing. For more information, see the preclinical study results in the journal Blood (abstract) and the clinical trial description for the Phase 2 myeloma trial.
Blood Calcium Levels May Be An Independent Prognostic Factor In Multiple Myeloma – Results from a small Mexican study suggest that calcium levels in the blood may be an independent predictor of overall survival in multiple myeloma patients. Blood calcium levels typically rise during multiple myeloma, as loss of bone structure releases calcium into the blood. In this study, researchers compared the levels of hemoglobin, platelets, calcium, and a wide range of enzymes and proteins in the blood of healthy individuals and multiple myeloma patients. The level of calcium in a myeloma patient's blood was the only factor that, on its own, correlated with overall survival. For more information, please see the study in Revista de investigación clínica (abstract).
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Today concludes this year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting, which began on Friday in Chicago. However, yesterday was the last day with any multiple myeloma-related sessions.
During yesterday’s poster session, important new research findings were summarized on posters throughout a large conference hall.
The studies were on a wide variety of myeloma-related topics ranging from new treatments being developed for myeloma, to currently used regimens, to secondary cancers, to precursor myeloma diseases, and much more.
This update covers some of the myeloma-related studies presented during the poster session, in …
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Results of a small German study indicate that the combination regimen of Velcade, Treanda, and prednisone is effective and well tolerated in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients with kidney impairment.
The majority of patients showed improved kidney function after treatment. The study investigators point out that patients responded rapidly, which may have prevented the development of irreversible kidney failure.
Based on their findings, the investigators recommend that the combination therapy be investigated further in larger clinical trials.
Impaired kidney function is a severe complication of multiple myeloma and affects 20 percent to …
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The results of an Italian Phase 3 study show that consolidation therapy with a combination of Velcade, thalidomide, and dexamethasone is more effective in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients than treatment with thalidomide and dexamethasone alone.
Specifically, the three-drug regimen led to higher rates of complete responses, as well as longer progression-free survival, compared to the two-drug regimen.
“Analyses performed in our study demonstrate that VTD [Velcade-thalidomide-dexamethasone] consolidation therapy significantly contributed to improved clinical outcomes,” said lead study investigator Dr. Michele Cavo from the Seragnoli Institute of Hematology in Bologna, Italy.
Preliminary …
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The results of a Greek analysis show that elderly multiple myeloma patients do not respond as well to treatment as their younger counterparts. However, the results also show that novel agents extend the overall survival of elderly myeloma patients compared to conventional chemotherapy.
The Greek researchers point out that their analysis was retrospective in nature and that controlled clinical trials targeting the elderly population are necessary to properly assess their response to novel agents such as Velcade (bortezomib), thalidomide (Thalomid), and Revlimid (lenalidomide).
According to Dr. Ravi Vij of …
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The results of a recent Phase 1/2 study suggest that a combination of Velcade and melphalan followed by two back-to-back stem cell transplants is active and well-tolerated in multiple myeloma patients who failed to respond to their initial therapy or who have plasma cell leukemia, a highly aggressive form of myeloma.
Although the response and survival rates for this regimen did not improve upon those for previously tested regimens, the study authors contend that further studies of this novel Velcade-melphalan combination should be conducted to better understand the synergistic properties of these …
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A group of multiple myeloma experts from the International Myeloma Working Group recently published a review of management strategies for drug-induced peripheral neuropathy in patients with multiple myeloma.
This Beacon article, the second in a three-part series, summarizes the experts’ recommendations for the treatment of drug-induced peripheral neuropathy.
The first article in the series describes peripheral neuropathy and summarizes the symptoms of drug-induced neuropathy as well as the risk of developing neuropathy associated with myeloma therapies. A third article will summarize the experts’ recommendations for prevention of peripheral neuropathy as …
