Modakafusp alfa shows promise in treating multiple myeloma, study finds
According to the American Cancer Society, about 12,640 deaths from multiple myeloma are expected to occur in the U.S. in 2022. The cancer is uncommon, affecting less than 1 percent of the population. Myeloma is currently not curable, and despite advances in treatment, all patients see their cancers relapse after initial treatment and other early lines of therapy.
A first-of-its-kind drug known as modakafusp alfa has shown early potential in combating multiple myeloma, in a study presented by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania's Abramson Cancer Center at the 2022 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting (Abstract 565).
Patients in the Phase I/II multicenter trial (NCT03215030) receiving 1.5 milligrams of modakafusp every four weeks, 43 percent saw a partial response, or a decrease in their cancer by over 50 percent. Patients enrolled in the study had received at least three prior lines of treatment and had their disease relapsed or stopped responding following the previous therapy.
"We are excited by these findings and continue to be optimistic about the potential this treatment holds for patients with multiple myeloma," said presenting author Dan Vogl, MD, an expert in blood cancers, medical director of the Clinical Research Unit at Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center, and an associate professor of Hematology-Oncology at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania. "We have been working with this new medication at Penn since we gave it to the first patient ever to receive it five years ago. We now see that a substantial number of patients benefit from modakafusp as a single agent, including patients whose myeloma has become resistant to other treatments, which is really impressive."
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