FDA Approved New 4-Drug Combo for Newly Diagnosed Myeloma Patients (https://www.myeloma.org/videos/fda-approved-new-4-drug-combo-newly-diagnosed-myeloma-patients)
FDA Approved New 4-Drug Combo for Newly Diagnosed Myeloma Patients
Important Info You Need to Know!
Exciting news for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients! The US FDA has approved a powerful 4-drug combination therapy for frontline treatment (https://www.myeloma.org/frontline-treatment-options). This video by Dr. Joseph Mikhael, Chief Medical Officer at the International Myeloma Foundation, explains what this means for you.
Key Points:
- What is the new 4-drug combination therapy?
- DARZALEX® (https://www.myeloma.org/darzalex-daratumumab) (daratumumab)
- Velcade® (https://www.myeloma.org/velcade-bortezomib) (bortezomib)
- REVLIMID® (https://www.myeloma.org/revlimid-lenalidomide) (lenalidomide)
- Dexamethasone
- Why is this FDA approval a big deal for myeloma patients? (Deeper and more durable remissions)
- Are there any potential downsides to this new treatment? (Managing side effects (https://www.myeloma.org/multiple-myeloma-complications))
- What does the future hold for myeloma treatment? (More 4-drug combinations and potentially shorter treatment durations)
This video is essential for anyone with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, as well as care partners and loved ones seeking to understand the latest treatment options.
Dr. Joseph Mikhael:
Recently, the US FDA approved the four-drug combination of daratumumab, bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone for frontline therapy in patients with multiple myeloma. Why is this so important?
Hi, everybody. Dr. Joseph Mikhael here, Chief Medical Officer of the International Myeloma Foundation. This FDA approval is big news in multiple myeloma. We've been using this four-drug combination for a while, testing it out and understanding its benefit to patients. But now with this FDA approval, we're going to see it used much more broadly across the country and likely across the world. It's important because with this combination, we've seen patients get into a deeper and a more durable remission than any prior combination we've had before. We've learned how important it is that we control myeloma from the very beginning. And what we do at the start of someone's myeloma diagnosis affects them for the rest of their life. So this kind of approval is really important to us, and we hope is going to have great implications across the country.
I think it signals to us that we'll likely see other four-drug combinations even in those patients that aren't going to autologous stem cell transplant. Lastly, we also remember this does mean more drug for patients. So we have to be very careful in managing the side effects. But paradoxically, this might mean less treatment over time because if we can control the disease upfront with this four-drug combination more effectively, patients may be able to stop their therapy earlier.
I hope you've enjoyed this update in myeloma. I'm going to bring many more of them to you. So follow our YouTube channel at the IMF. We have a chatbot, we have a website, we have an InfoLine, multiple ways that you can connect with us. We'd love to be able to help you through your myeloma journey.
Joseph Mikhael, MD, MEd, FRCPC, FACP, FASCO
International Myeloma Foundation Medical Advisor
TGen, City of Hope Cancer Center—Phoenix, AZ, USA
Dr Mikhael is a Professor in the Clinical Genomics and Therapeutics Division at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope Cancer Center. He is also the Director of Myeloma research at the HonorHealth Research Institute in Scottsdale, Arizona. Dr Mikhael specializes clinically in plasma cell disorders, namely multiple myeloma, amyloidosis, and Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia. He is the PI of many clinical trials, primarily in relapsed multiple myeloma, and his other clinical research interests include pharmaco-economics, communication skills, and media relations.
Dr. Mikhael recently served as the Chief Medical Officer of the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) from 2018 to 2026 – he now serves as Medical Advisor to the IMF to provide guidance and strategic input in areas such as patient education, health disparities, collaboration with partners, international research, and publications.
Dr Mikhael has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles in these fields and lectures internationally on a regular basis. Dr. Mikhael is deeply committed to health disparities in myeloma and is the chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council at TGen. Dr. Mikhael is heavily involved in training future researchers and mentors junior faculty worldwide. Dr. Mikhael is an active member of the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) and recently led the ASCO guidelines in myeloma. Dr. Mikhael also serves as the Treasurer on the executive of the American Society of Hematology.
Dr. Mikhael did his medical training in Canada, including a fellowship in Multiple Myeloma at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. He also obtained his master’s degree in education from the University of Toronto. He then worked at the Mayo Clinic Arizona as a Hematologist from 2008-2018.