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ASCO conference: Celgene combo therapy extends blood cancer patients' lives

Celgene Corp. said a combination regimen of its drug Pomalyst with other medications extended the life of certain blood cancer patients while keeping the disease at bay.

In a phase 3 trial, named Optimismm, the company evaluated a combination of Pomalyst, anti-cancer drug bortezomib and a low dose of corticosteroid medication dexamethasone in 559 multiple myeloma patients whose disease had returned or did not respond to treatment with Celgene's standard-of-care drug for multiple myeloma, Revlimid, or lenalidomide.

The combination therapy was evaluated against bortezomib and low-dose dexamethasone.

Multiple myeloma is an incurable blood cancer that forms in plasma cells — a type of white blood cell — that are responsible for producing antibodies. It is characterized by a recurring pattern of remission and relapse.

"These are the first phase 3 clinical findings to report a significant and clinically meaningful progression-free survival improvement in patients who have previously received lenalidomide, a majority of whom are lenalidomide refractory," said Paul Richardson, clinical program leader and director of clinical research at the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center, Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

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Results from the study showed that patients receiving the combination therapy lived for 11.20 months without the disease worsening compared with 7.10 months for patients receiving only bortezomib and dexamethasone. Patients receiving the combination treatment saw a 39% lower risk of disease progression or death.

In addition, 82.2% of the patients on the Pomalyst combination saw a reduction in their cancer, compared with 50% of patients receiving bortezomib and dexamethasone.

The most common side effects from the combination therapy were low levels of white blood cells called neutrophils, infections and a low blood platelet count, and none of the side effects resulted in death.

Pomalyst is approved, in combination with dexamethasone, for multiple myeloma patients who have previously received at least two therapies, including Revlimid and a proteasome inhibitor, and have seen their disease progress on or within 60 days of completion of the last therapy.

The 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting is expected to bring together more than 32,000 professionals from all over the world, with more than 2,500 study abstracts to be presented on-site and an additional 3,350 abstracts to be published online.