Anastasios Raptis, MD, a clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Hillman Cancer Center, discusses the use of daratumumab (Darzalex), lenalidomide (Revlimid), and dexamethasone (DRd) in the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

The results from the phase III MAIA (MMY3008) trial were very promising, says Raptis. Treatment-naïve patients who were transplant-ineligible experienced a 44% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death with DRd versus lenalidomide/dexamethasone alone (HR, 0.56; 95 CI, 0.43-0.73; 

 <.0001). Also, the combination has shown a very high rate of molecular remission, so there is a lot of hope that the introduction of this novel regimen in the frontline setting will further improve the outcomes of patients with myeloma.

On June 27, 2019, the FDA approved the combination of DRd for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplantation. The approval, which was granted through the agency's Real-Time Oncology Review pilot program, is based on the findings from the MAIA trial.

Anastasios Raptis, MD

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Dr. Raptis on DRd in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma