Dr Bishop on the Potential Significance of Anito-Cel for the Multiple Myeloma Treatment Paradigm

“It’s an exciting time in multiple myeloma with all of the available therapies, but if these data hold, [anito-cel could be a] best-in-class [therapeutic]. [If this is] added to our armamentarium, [we will] be able to sit down with a patient and [provide them a highly effective option] this has minimal toxicities.”

Michael R. Bishop, MD, professor, medicine, and director, Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Program, The University of Chicago Medicine, discusses the potential significance of anitocabtagene autoleucel (anito-cel) for the relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma treatment paradigm.

Updated results from a first-in-human phase 1 study (NCT04155749) of anito-cel in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma were presented at the 2024 ASH Annual Meeting. At a median follow-up of 38.1 months (range, 25-56), efficacy results showed a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 30.2 months (95% CI, 16.6-not evaluable [NE]) in the overall patient population. Among complete responders, the median PFS was 34.3 months (95% CI, 24.2-NE). The median overall survival (OS) had not yet been reached.

No delayed or non–immune effector cell–associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) neurotoxicities were observed, including no cases of Parkinsonism, cranial nerve palsies, or Guillain-Barré syndrome. One patient experienced a grade 5 adverse effect of cardiac arrest following study treatment, which was determined to be unrelated to the study drug and attributed to a non–study drug overdose. Three cases of hematologic secondary primary malignancies, specifically myelodysplastic syndrome, were reported. These events were considered unrelated to the study treatment, and no secondary primary malignancies were directly attributed to anito-cel.

Given the evolving treatment paradigm for multiple myeloma, these findings indicate that anito-cel may be a promising therapeutic option with an extended duration of response and a manageable safety profile, Bishop states. The low incidence of severe neurotoxicity, combined with the prolonged PFS, supports its potential integration into clinical practice for relapsed disease, he adds. If these data are confirmed in subsequent trials, anito-cel could represent a best-in-class therapy, providing oncologists with a well-tolerated and effective treatment option for patients with heavily pretreated multiple myeloma, Bishop concludes.