Dr. Roman Hajek on the ANCHOR Study

What is the background of this study? 

The development of resistance to standard treatments for relapsed refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) highlights the need for novel therapies. Melphalan flufenamide (melflufen) is a first-in-class peptide-drug conjugate (PDC) that leverages aminopeptidases and rapidly releases alkylating agents inside tumor cells. Melflufen plus dexamethasone showed clinical activity and an acceptable safety profile in HORIZON (Richardson et al. J Clin Oncol. 2020 Dec 9 [Epub]). This is an update of the bortezomib arm of the phase I/IIa ANCHOR study (NCT03481556 (https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03481556)). 

In this video: 

Dr. Roman Hajek (University Hospital Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic) explained the study looked at RRMM patients who were intolerant or refractory to a prior immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) with 1-4 prior lines of therapy. Patients in the study were permitted to have undergone prior treatment with a proteasome inhibitor (PI). Yet, patients could not be refractory to PIs in the last line of treatment. 

Conclusions: 

ANCHOR determined that the optimal dose of melflufen is 30 mg plus dexamethasone and bortezomib; results showed clinical activity in heavily pretreated patients. Recruitment is ongoing; updated data will be presented.  

Clinical trial information: NCT03481556 (http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT03481556)