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, a chart breaks down these medications according to their drug class. 

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 or refractory 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 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 is a new formulation of Darzalex that is given as an injection under the skin. It is approved for newly diagnosed patients who are not eligible for transplant, for those who have received one or more prior therapies, and for patients who have received three or more prior lines of therapy that included a proteasome inhibitor plus an immunomodulatory drug, or who are double-refractory to a proteasome inhibitor and an immunomodulatory drug.
• EMPLICITI®  |  elotuzumab  |  elo, E
  Empliciti (elotuzumab) is a monoclonal antibody. It is used as 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.
• SARCLISA®  |  isatuximab-ifrc
  Sarclisa (isatuximab-ifrc) is a novel anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody. Although antibodies are a naturally-occurring part of the immune system, Sarclisa and other antibodies used to treat diseases are made in a laboratory. 

B-cell maturation antigens (BCMA)

• ABECMA®  |  idecabtagene vicleucel  |  ide-cel
  Abecma, 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. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved selinexor in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone for the treatment of adult patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior therapy. The FDA approval of XPOVIO's expanded indication is supported by the results of the BOSTON study, a multi-center, Phase 3, randomized study (NCT03110562), which evaluated 402 adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who had received one to three prior lines of therapy.

Alkylating agents

• ALKERAN®, ALPHALAN®  |  mel, M
  Alkeran (melphalan) is a chemotherapy drug commonly used in treating multiple myeloma. It belongs to the class of drugs known as alkylating agents, which inhibit DNA and RNA synthesis, causing the death of both dividing and non-dividing tumor cells. 
• 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. 
• PEPAXTO®  |  melphalan flufenamide
  Pepaxto is an alkylating agent that is given intravenously in combination with the steroid dexamethasone for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory myeloma. Pepaxto is the first anticancer peptide-drug conjugate approved by the FDA.
• 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.

What's Next?