Sanofi Sarclisa approved in EU for transplant-eligible newly diagnosed multiple myeloma
Paris: Sanofi has announced that the European Commission has approved Sarclisa in combination with bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (VRd) for the induction treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) who are eligible for autologous stem cell transplant following the positive opinion by the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use on June 19, 2025.
“We have been on a mission to accelerate Sarclisa’s clinical development program with the hope to bring this important medicine to as many people as possible living with multiple myeloma,” said Olivier Nataf, Global Head of Oncology at Sanofi. “The decision represents a prime example of those efforts, and most importantly, paves the way for Sarclisa to potentially become accessible to even more patients in the EU, regardless of transplant eligibility or line of therapy.”
The approval is based on results from part one of the two-part, double-randomized, German-speaking Myeloma Multicenter Group (GMMG)-HD7 phase 3 study (clinical study identifier: NCT03617731), which was designed to independently assess the effects of Sarclisa during the induction and maintenance phases. Sarclisa-VRd demonstrated a deep and rapid response in transplant-eligible (TE) NDMM patients compared to VRd alone, reflected by a statistically significant minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity benefit at the end of the 18-week induction period, which was the primary endpoint of part one.
These MRD results were supported by the final progression-free survival (PFS) analysis of part one (induction and transplant), which demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in PFS in patients treated with Sarclisa-VRd during induction, regardless of the maintenance therapy received. Additionally, the majority (53.1%) of patients receiving Sarclisa-VRd experienced continued MRD negativity (compared to 38% in the control arm), defined as MRD negativity persisting from post-induction to post-transplant, which was consistent with the prolonged PFS benefit.
The results are part of the growing body of clinical evidence supporting the use of Sarclisa in the front-line setting and reinforce the potential of Sarclisa-VRd when used prior to transplant. Data from part two, the maintenance portion of the study, are forthcoming.
Sarclisa (isatuximab) is approved in more than 50 countries, including in the US, EU, Japan, and China, across multiple lines of treatment for MM.
Based on the ICARIA-MM phase 3 study, Sarclisa is approved in the US and Japan in combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone (Pd) for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (R/R MM) who have received ≥two prior therapies, including lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor.
Additionally, Sarclisa is approved in the EU in combination with Pd for the treatment of patients with R/R MM who have received ≥two prior therapies, including lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor and have relapsed on the last therapy, and in China for patients who have received at least one prior line of therapy, including lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor.
Based on the IKEMA phase 3 study, Sarclisa is also approved in more than 50 countries in combination with carfilzomib and dexamethasone, including in the US for the treatment of patients with R/R MM who have received one to three prior lines of therapy and in the EU for patients with MM who have received at least one prior therapy.
In the US, EU, and China, Sarclisa is approved in combination with VRd as a front-line treatment option in transplant-ineligible NDMM patients, based on the IMROZ phase 3 study. Sarclisa is also approved in the EU in combination with VRd as an induction treatment for transplant-eligible NDMM patients, based on the GMMG-HD7 phase 3 study.
In Japan, Sarclisa is approved in combination with VRd as a front-line treatment option regardless of transplant eligibility.
