How Does FDA-Approved Blenrep Treat Multiple Myeloma?

On Oct. 23, it was announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the antibody-drug conjugate Blenrep (belantamab mafodotin-blmf) in combination with Velcade (bortezomib) and dexamethasone (a combination known as BVd) for the treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received at least two prior lines of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor (PI) and an immunomodulatory (IMID) agent.

The approval was announced in a news release issued by GSK plc, the manufacturer of Blenrep.

The approval, according to the news release, was supported by data from the DREAMM-7 phase 3 trial, which showed that in patients who had two or more prior lines of therapy including a PI and an IMID, the Blenrep plus BVd combination was associated with a 51% reduction in the risk of death and a tripled median progression-free survival (PFS) of 31.4 months vs 10.4 months for a daratumumab-based triplet therapy (DVd).

According to the news release, the safety and tolerability profiles of the combination regimen were found to be broadly consistent with the known profiles of the individual agents.

How Does Blenrep Work?

Blenrep, as noted by the FDA in its announcement of the approval, is a B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-directed antibody and microtubule inhibitor conjugate.

To discuss this approval and its significance for patients, CURE spoke with Dr. Surbhi Sidana, who is the chair of the American Society of Hematology’s Committee on Communications and an associate professor of medicine at Stanford University in California, about Blenrep and how this type of treatment works to treat multiple myeloma.

Transcript:

How do antibody-drug conjugates such as Blenrep work to treat multiple myeloma?

An antibody drug conjugate is a drug that has, on one end, a monoclonal antibody. In the case of [Blenrep], it’s against BCMA, or B-cell maturation antigen. And these antibodies are toward tumor targets, so they will go and identify a tumor antigen on a tumor cell, and then it is attached to a payload. Once the antibody recognizes the tumor cells and binds to [them], the payload is internalized, and that is the one that is causing cell death or toxicity to the cancer cell.

Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

For more news on cancer updates, research and education, don’t forget to subscribe to CURE®’s newsletters here.

References:

1. “Blenrep approved by US FDA for use in treatment of relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma,” news release; https://www.gsk.com/en-gb/media/press-releases/blenrep-approved-by-us-fda-for-use-in-treatment-of-relapsedrefractory-multiple-myeloma/
2. "FDA Approves Blenrep Plus Velcade/Dexamethasone For R/R Multiple Myeloma," CURE; https://www.curetoday.com/view/fda-approves-blenrep-plus-velcade-dexamethasone-for-r-r-multiple-myeloma