Multiple myeloma drugs fall into various drug classes, including proteasome inhibitors (PIs), immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs®), alkylating agents, corticosteroids, histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACs), bisphosphonates, and monoclonal antibodies (MAbs).

Multiple Myeloma Drugs

In this section, medications are categorized according to their drug class. At the end of this list, there is a corresponding downloadable chart of these drugs.

Proteasome inhibitors (PI)

• NINLARO®  |  ixazomib  |  I
  Ninlaro (ixazomib) is an oral prescription medicine used to treat multiple myeloma in combination with the medicines Revlimid® (lenalidomide) and dexamethasone, in people who have received at least one prior treatment.
• KYPROLIS®  |  carfilzomib  |  cfz, car, K
  Kyprolis (carfilzomib) for injection is a prescription medication used to treat patients with relapsed (myeloma that has come back after prior treatment) or refractory (myeloma that is no longer responsive to prior treatments) multiple myeloma who have received one to three previous treatments for multiple myeloma.
• VELCADE®  |  bortezomib  |  btz, bor, V
  Velcade (bortezomib) is an anti-cancer agent available for injection into a vein (intravenously or IV) or under the skin (subcutaneously). Velcade is indicated for the treatment of newly diagnosed and relapsed or refractory myeloma.

Immunomodulators (IMiD)

• POMALYST®  |  pomalidomide  |  pom, P
  Pomalyst (pomalidomide) is an oral treatment for multiple myeloma indicated, in combination with dexamethasone, for patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least two prior therapies including lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor.
• REVLIMID®  |  lenalidomide  |  len, R
  Revlimid (lenalidomide), an immunomodulatory drug (IMiD®), is the first oral medication that was developed for treatment of multiple myeloma. It is used in the newly diagnosed, maintenance therapy, and relapsed and/or refractory settings.
• THALOMID®  |  thalidomide  |  thal, T
  Thalomid (thalidomide) is an oral immunomodulatory drug, an agent that can modify or regulate the immune system. It has both anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities. Thalidomide was first used to treat multiple myeloma in 1997.

Monoclonal antibodies (MAb)

• DARZALEX®  |  daratumumab  |  dara
  Darzalex (daratumumab) is the first FDA-approved monoclonal antibody that targets the CD38 protein on the surface of myeloma cells. It is approved for adult patients with myeloma in multiple disease settings, from the newly diagnosed to the relapsed/refractory. Darzalex is administered intravenously.
• Darzalex Faspro® |  daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj
  Darzalex Faspro (daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj) is a new formulation of Darzalex that is given as an abdominal injection under the skin. It is approved for adult patients with multiple myeloma in multiple disease settings from the newly diagnosed to the relapsed/refractory.  .
• EMPLICITI®  |  elotuzumab  |  elo, E
  Empliciti (elotuzumab) is a monoclonal antibody. It is an intravenously infused prescription medicine used to treat multiple myeloma in combination with the medicines Revlimid® (lenalidomide) and dexamethasone, in people who have received one to three prior treatments for their disease. It is also approved for use in combination with Pomalyst® and dexamethasone in patients with myeloma who have received at least 2 prior therapies including Revlimid and a proteasome inhibitor.
• SARCLISA®  |  isatuximab-ifrc
  Sarclisa (isatuximab-ifrc) is a novel anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody. It is given as an intravenous infusion every week for 4 weeks, then every 2 weeks. It is administered as part of a three-drug regimen known as Isa-Pd, or Sarclisa plus Pomalyst® and dexemthasone. 

B-cell maturation antigens (BCMA)

• ABECMA®  |  idecabtagene vicleucel  |  ide-cel
  Abecma (idecabtagene vicleucel), a personalized immune cell therapy delivered as a one-time infusion, is approved for use in adult patients with relapsed and refractory myeloma who have had four or more prior lines of therapy that include three major drug classes, including an immunomodulatory agent, a proteasome inhibitor, and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody.

• BLENREP®  |  belantamab mafodotin-blmf  |  bela, belamaf
  BLENREP (belantamab mafodotin-blmf), a BCMA-directed antibody-drug conjugate, is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory myeloma who have received at least four prior therapies including an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody, a proteasome inhibitor, and an immunomodulatory agent.

Nuclear export inhibitor

• XPOVIO®  |  selinexor
  Xpovio (selinexor), a new medication to treat myeloma, is a “nuclear export inhibitor,” the first compound in this new drug class. Nuclear export inhibitors prevent cancer cells from expelling special genes in the cell nucleus called tumor suppressor proteins that help protect the cell from cancer.  Xpovio is approved for use in combination with bortezomib for treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory disease or in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone for the treatment of adult patients who have received at least one prior therapy. 

Alkylating agents

• ALKERAN®, ALPHALAN®  |  mel, M
  Alkeran (melphalan) is a chemotherapy drug commonly used in treating multiple myeloma. In the U.S., melphalan is most commonly used in the treatment of MM as the conditioning agent in autologous stem cell transplant. It is given as an intravenous infusion (IV) at a high dose to ablate (wipe out the cells within) the bone marrow, where myeloma grows, the day before the patient's own hematopoietic (blood-making) stem cells are given back to restore bone marrow function. It is also used, most commonly outside the U.S., as an oral agent to treat myeloma in combination with Velcade® and prednisone (VMP), and in combination with thalidomide and prednisone (MPT).
   
• CYTOXAN®  |  cyclophosphomide  |  CTX, Cy, C
  Cytoxan (cyclophosphomide) was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1959, and is still widely used to treat multiple myeloma, as well as many other types of cancer and autoimmune diseases. As a first-line therapy, it is most commonly given orally in combination with Velcade (bortezomib) and dexamethasone (CyBorD or VCd). Cytoxan is also given orally at relapse in combination with Revlimid® and dexamethasone (CRd) or Pomalyst® and dexamethasone (CPd). A Cytoxan infusion, or intravenous (IV) Cytoxan, can also be used as part of the stem cell harvesting process in combination with colony stimulating factors.

• TREANDA®  |  bendamustine

  Treanda (bendamustine) belongs to a class of cancer chemotherapy drugs known as alkylating agents. It works by killing cancer cells or slowing their growth.

Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors  (HDAC)  

• FARYDAK®  |  panobinostat  
  Farydak (panobinostat)  is a prescription medication taken in combination with Velcade® and dexamethasone to treat patients with multiple myeloma who have already been treated with Velcade and an immunomodulatory drug.

Corticosteroids

• DECADRON®  |  dexamethasone  |  D, d, dex, DXM
  Dexamethasone (which is sometimes called “dex” for short) is also known by the brand names Decadron®, Dexasone®, Diodex®, Hexadrol®, and Maxidex®. It is one of the most frequently used medications in the treatment of multiple myeloma
• DELTASONE®  |  prednisone  |  pred, P
  Prednisone belongs to a class of drugs known as corticosteroids. It decreases your immune system's response to various diseases to reduce symptoms such as swelling and allergic-type reactions.
• MEDROL®  |  methylprednisolone
  Methylprednisolone is used to decrease your immune system's response to various diseases to reduce symptoms such as swelling, pain, and allergic-type reactions. 

Bone-modifying agents

• XGEVA®  |  denosumab
  Denosumab (trade names Prolia and Xgeva) is a human monoclonal antibody for the treatment of osteoporosis, treatment-induced bone loss, metastases to bone, and giant cell tumor of bone.
• ZOMETA®  |  zoledronic acid  |  zol
  Zoledronic acid is also used with cancer chemotherapy to treat bone problems that may occur with multiple myeloma and other types of cancer (such as breast, lung) that have spread to the bones.
• AREDIA®  |  pamidronate  |  pmd
  Pamidronate is used to treat high blood calcium levels and certain bone problems (bone metastases/lesions) that may occur with some types of cancer.

Download Chart of Approved Multiple Myeloma Drugs

Guide to Myeloma Drug Names

Multiple myeloma treatments have evolved over the last thirty years. Since 2009 alone, more than a dozen new treatments have been developed for the disease. This table provides a comprehensive list of many of the drugs that have been used to treat myeloma through time. You may want to reference this list if you are a patient researching clinical trials or if you are a myeloma researcher.

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