Curie Brief
Turn on cookies to sign in
Signing in saves your progress to your Curie account. We can only do that with cookies on — turn them on to continue.
News
A phase 3 trial found that adding felzartamab, a novel anti-CD38 antibody, to standard therapy nearly doubled progression-free survival in Chinese patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (18.9 vs. 10.4 months). The benefit, however, came with significantly higher rates of neutropenia, lymphopenia, and pneumonia — and a 6% treatment-related death rate — raising important questions about the risk-benefit balance.
A phase 3 trial published in The Lancet Haematology found that adding felzartamab — a novel anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody with reduced complement-dependent cytotoxicity — to lenalidomide-dexamethasone nearly doubled progression-free survival (PFS) in Chinese patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. The three-drug regimen cut the risk of progression or death by 38% compared to the standard two-drug combination.
The benefit, however, came with a notable toxicity burden. Grade 3 or higher adverse events were substantially more common in the felzartamab group, including neutropenia, lymphopenia, and serious pneumonia cases — and treatment-related deaths occurred in 6% of patients receiving felzartamab vs. 2% in the control group.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: This is the first phase 3 trial of felzartamab in this setting, offering a potential new option for relapsed myeloma — particularly for patients with the 1q21+ chromosomal abnormality who may respond less well to existing CD38 antibodies. The elevated toxicity profile, however, means careful patient selection will be critical before broader adoption.
