At the 24th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA), Paul G. Richardson from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, US, speaks to the Multiple Myeloma Hub about the updated analysis from the HORIZON study of melflufen in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM).
The HORIZON study is a phase II trial of melflufen + dexamethasone for patients with RRMM resistant to pomalidomide or daratumumab, or both. The majority of enrolled patients were triple class refractory, representing a very vulnerable population with few other treatment options. This study was in conducted in over 120 patients, with triple refractory disease, of whom nearly 60% had high-risk disease, and some had extra-medullary disease.
Melflufen delivers chemotherapy directly, minimizing the toxicity in normal tissue and maximizing it with the cancer cells.
The study found around a third of patients responded to treatment, with a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 4 months and a median overall survival approaching 10 months. Prof. Richardson highlighted though that this is an ongoing study.
The side effect profile was manageable, with no high rates of serious infection which Prof. Richardson highlighted was important in this vulnerable group.
Other studies, such as the ANCHOR study, are ongoing. In the ANCHOR study, melflufen is combined with bortezomib in one arm, reporting response rates of 100%, and daratumumab in another arm, with response rates of over 80%.
