Jannsen has revealed clinical trial results for its pipeline of products to treat multiple myeloma and leukaemia.
The findings were presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2022 Annual Meeting taking place in New Orleans, US.
Along with positive Phase II trial data for talquetamab, the company presented promising findings on the long-term results of daratumumab in newly diagnosed, transplant-ineligible multiple myeloma patients.
In the Phase III MAIA study, daratumumab was given in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone (D-Rd).
“The treatment of multiple myeloma becomes more complex with each relapse, so it is critical for frontline therapy to achieve deep treatment responses and extend survival,” said Edmond Chan, EMEA Therapeutic Area Lead Haematology, Janssen-Cilag Limited. “This year at ASH, 168 oral presentations and posters include daratumumab – testament to its significance in the multiple myeloma treatment paradigm.
“We are encouraged by the latest results from the MAIA study, which reinforce the previously presented overall survival benefit of this daratumumab-based regimen as standard of care for the treatment of patients who are transplant-ineligible.”
Phase Ib MajesTEC-2 trial
Early data was also presented on the MajesTEC-2 trial of teclistamab in combination with daratumumab and lenalidomide in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.
The immune-based triplet therapy regimen had a manageable safety profile and a very good partial response or better was achieved by 90.3% of patients.
“These results show the potential of the combination of the bispecific BCMA-directed antibody teclistamab with the anti-CD38 antibody daratumumab and lenalidomide in the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma,” said Emma Searle, Consultant Haematologist and Honorary Senior Lecturer, The Christie Hospital and University of Manchester, England, and study investigator.
Phase III GLOW study
The fourth Jannsen product to be discussed at the ASH meeting was ibrutinib, which demonstrated a sustained response in older, unfit patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukaemia in the Phase III GLOW study.
Ibrutinib in combination with venetoclax reduced the risk of progression or death by 79% and showed an overall survival (OS) advantage over chemoimmunotherapy.
“The GLOW study results demonstrate the potential of fixed-duration I+V as an additional treatment option for older, unfit patients with CLL in the first-line setting, and this fixed-dose combination may offer a flexible regimen for patients seeking a time-limited treatment approach,” said study investigator Carsten Niemann, Clinical Associate Professor and Principal Investigator at Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
“This first all-oral, fixed-duration novel combination demonstrates an OS advantage in the first-line treatment of CLL and is an innovative option for patients.”
