Teclistamab yields high response rate in relapsed multiple myeloma, carries high risk of side effects

Reuters Health- 06/06/2022 - Janssen's teclistamab produced an overall response rate of 63% in 165 patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma after a median follow-up of 14.1 months, according to updated results from the MajesTEC-1 phase-1-2 study.

The complete response rate so far has been 39.4%, and 26.7% of treated patients had no minimal residual disease. But the drug triggered severe side effects in the vast majority.

The research team, led by Dr. Phillippe Moreau of the University Hospital Hotel-Dieu in Nantes, France, characterized the responses as "deep and durable."

The findings were detailed at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Johnson & Johnson paid for the study.

All of the volunteers - treated at 35 sites in nine countries - had previously received at least three types of therapy. All had minimal disability. The drug was given as a weekly subcutaneous injection.

The median duration of response was 18.4 months and the median duration of progression-free survival was 11.3 months.

But the treatment is laden with side effects, with 94.5% of patients having at least one side effect of grade 3 or 4.

Grade-3 or -4 neutropenia appeared in 64.2%, grade-3 or -4 anemia was seen in 37.0%, grade-3 or -4 thrombocytopenia was seen in 21.2% and grade-3 or -4 infections plagued 44.8%.

However, only two of the 165 patients quit the treatment because of side effects.

Forty-one patients died due to progressive disease. Nineteen died from adverse events, although that number included 12 COVID-19 deaths.

SOURCE: https://bit.ly/3zbyMih The New England Journal of Medicine, online June 5, 2022.

By Reuters Staff



Posted on 6 June, 202214 June, 2022