Dr. Raje on Unmet Needs with CAR T-Cell Therapy in Myeloma

Noopur Raje, MD, director, Center for Multiple Myeloma, Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses unmet needs with CAR T-cell therapy in multiple myeloma.

Access remains the most prevalent unmet need regarding CAR T-cell therapy, Raje says. Since CAR T-cell therapy is currently approved only for patients with late-stage relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, those patients must wait and sometimes cannot receive the products in time, Raje says. Improving access for these patients is a vital concern, and moving CAR T-cell therapy into earlier stages of treatment could help improve access and expand the number of patients who could receive treatment, Raje adds.

Ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel; Carvykti) and idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel; Abecma) are currently being investigated in the up-front setting in clinical trials, Raje continues. Once the indication is received in earlier stages of myeloma, bridging therapies will help more patients receive CAR T-cell therapy, Raje concludes.