Amgen's multiple myeloma drug combination shows increased progression-free survival in Phase III trial

US biotech major Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN) said late stage trials for its Kyprolis (carfilzomib) plus dexamethasone to treat multiple myeloma achieved progression-free survival of 18.7 months compared with 9.4 months in those receiving bortezomib plus dexamethasone.

The Phase III trials report was published in The Lancet Oncology comparing Kyprolis to Velcade (bortezomib). The findings demonstrate that patients with relapsed multiple myeloma treated with Kyprolis lived twice as long without disease worsening as those treated with bortezomib. The most common adverse events in the Kyprolis arm were diarrhea, anemia, fatigue, dyspnea, pyrexia and insomnia.

Dr Meletios Dimopoulos, professor of clinical therapeutics at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, said: “In this head-to-head comparison, carfilzomib plus dexamethasone resulted in a twofold decrease in the risk of progression or death, compared with bortezomib plus dexamethasone, a result that was consistent regardless of age or prior bortezomib exposure. For patients with multiple myeloma, these results are clinically meaningful and translate to more than nine months without disease progression.”