Saurabh Chhabra, MD, MS, assistant professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin, discusses the most impactful advances made in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

The phase II ELOQUENT-3 trial has had the biggest impact on practice, says Chhabra. In this trial, investigators evaluated the combination of elotuzumab (Empliciti) with pomalidomide (Pomalyst) and dexamethasone. This triplet was believed to be a potent combination; however, it had never been formally examined in a clinical trial. Based on the results of the trial, the regimen received FDA approval.

Another area that has garnered a lot of excitement but has yet to reach the clinic is antibody—drug conjugates (ADCs). Physicians will have to see how early-phase trials play out, especially those examining the GSK2857916 compound, says Chhabra. Data from the first in-human phase I study, which included 43 patients, was conducted in 2 parts: the dose-escalation part and the dose-expansion part. There was concern about toxicity, especially regarding the corneal adverse events. However, these events were reversible in most patients at a median of 35 days, he adds. Only 2 patients discontinued treatment in the dose-escalation part of the trial, and none discontinued in the dose-expansion part. Based on these data, it seems as though the benefit of this approach might outweigh the risk.

Saurabh Chhabra, MD, MS

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Dr. Chhabra on Impactful Advances in Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma