Welcome back to our coverage of the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting. On Day 2, researchers shared more promising updates about long-term results from large, ongoing clinical trials, new treatment combinations, and patient-friendly innovations in multiple myeloma care.
Long-term data were presented from the CARTITUDE-1 study of the CAR-T cell therapy Carvykti® (cilta-cel) in 97 heavily pretreated patients with relapsed or refractory myeloma.
The MMRF’s new Translational Research Umbrella (TRU) Program asks similar questions to help us understand which patients respond to specific therapies and why. Combined efforts like CARTITUDE-1 and TRU will be key in understanding the long-term benefit of Carvykti and who can benefit the most.
Above all, these are some of the most positive results we’ve seen as a treatment for heavily pre-treated.
Yesterday, we highlighted how adding Darzalex® (daratumumab) to standard three-drug treatment helps patients who aren’t getting a transplant. Today, we heard similar long-term success in another group of patients who did receive a transplant.
We also saw more good news for Sarclisa® (isatuximab). A study of newly diagnosed patients found that adding Sarclisa to Kyprolis® (carfilzomib), Revlimid, and dexamethasone (Isa-KRd) led to:
Given the improvement in outcomes and no significant side effects or impact on quality of life, this study and others from yesterday confirm that four-drug combinations are the standard of care treatment across different newly diagnosed patient populations.
Day 2 also offered an exciting glimpse into potential new treatments on the horizon, including JNJ-5322, a new trispecific antibody that targets two regions of myeloma cells instead of one. This new therapy could be a particularly effective treatment for patients who have just relapsed after taking a proteasome inhibitor like Velcade, an immunomodulatory drug like Revlimid, or an anti-CD38 antibody like Sarclisa.
Now that this Phase I trial discovered an optimal dose that minimizes side effects, we look forward to watching JNJ-5322 as it moves to the next stages of testing—Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials—where more patients can access the drug.
Today’s last study looked at a new way to give the medicine Sarclisa using a small, wearable device called an on-body delivery injector (OBI). This device sticks to the belly and uses a tiny needle to deliver the medicine. The goal of the study was to see if this new method works just as well as the current way of giving Sarclisa, which is through an IV drip.
The wearable injector may be used in the future to improve quality of life by making treatment more comfortable, convenient, and less disruptive to daily activities. One day, it could possibly be administered in a patient’s own home instead of a treatment center.
Moving forward, it will be important to figure out what can be done to minimize cost of this new device and increase everyone’s access to it.
We’re excited by the continued momentum in myeloma research that we’ve seen at ASCO 2025. For more updates, visit themmrf.org and follow along as we track the progress that brings us closer to a cure.
We’re excited to share highlights from the first day of the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, one of the year’s most important events in cancer research.
This year, researchers from around the globe shared data on breakthrough research and treatment strategies, including 150 abstracts, posters, and presentations related to multiple myeloma. On Day 1 of ASCO, we were particularly encouraged by studies that showed progress for the following key areas of unmet need:
Blenrep (belantamab mafodotin) is a type of cancer treatment that works by combining targeted therapy with chemotherapy.
One study looked at Blenrep combined with Pomalyst® (pomalidomide) and dexamethasone (BPd) in patients who had received at least one prior treatment that included Revlimid. This study found that more patients (25%) became MRD-negative—the deepest response measurable—when treated with BPd versus Pomalyst, Velcade® (bortezomib) and dexamethasone (PVd) (5%). The study also found that patients who did not become MRD-negative still benefitted more from BPd than PVd; 32% of patients who received BPd versus 5% of patients who received PVd had a very good partial response. Another study looked at some of the common eye problems caused by Blenrep. Researchers wanted to see if giving the drug less often could help reduce these side effects, especially in frail patients. The results were promising: patients still responded well to the treatment, even with fewer doses. Very few people—less than 1%—had serious vision problems like trouble driving or reading. When Blenrep was combined with the drugs Revlimid® (lenalidomide) and dexamethasone, it appeared to be a good treatment option for newly diagnosed myeloma patients who are too weak for a transplant. These results suggest that Blenrep could be a valuable option for patients who have few treatment choices left, especially since it’s an off-the-shelf therapy that doesn’t require a hospital stay. It may receive FDA approval as early as this summer.
Some newly diagnosed patients, especially those with high-risk chromosomal alterations, may not respond to standard therapies, but data on new drug combinations are showing hope:
Both studies indicate that adding Sarclisa to treatment protocols for high-risk newly diagnosed myeloma patients could become a new standard of treatment for this hard-to-treat patient group.
We saw promising updated data continuing to confirm that adding Darzalex® (daratumumab) to the standard VRd combo (Velcade, Revlimid, dexamethasone)—known as DVRd—was shown to work better than VRd alone, particularly in patients who were not eligible to have a stem cell transplant or who are delaying a stem cell transplant.
The study found that treating with DVRd vs. VRd alone led to higher MRD-negative rates (60% vs. 39% MRD-negative rates) and better outcomes overall.
These results reinforce previous findings that DVRd is an important treatment option for patients who cannot or are not currently pursuing a stem cell transplant.
In a disease as complex as multiple myeloma, identifying new treatment options is key to moving toward a cure for each and every myeloma patient. It was encouraging to hear about the results of several studies focused on uncovering new treatment options.
Linvoseltamab is in late stage clinical trials and is expected to receive FDA approval later this year.
We’re hopeful about the progress shared on Day 1 of ASCO 2025—and we’ll be back tomorrow with more updates for the myeloma community. Stay tuned!
