Review weighs evidence for and implications of isatuximab on-body injector
The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recently issued a positive opinion supporting approval of the novel on-body injector (OBI) for subcutaneous isatuximab. In a report published in Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery, experts review the evidence for the isatuximab OBI in multiple myeloma (MM). The report also highlights potential advantages of OBI over conventional subcutaneous injection or intravenous delivery of isatuximab, and the implications for clinical practice and ongoing MM trials.

CAR-T therapy has equitable efficacy, with safety differences, across ancestry groups
Patients with RRMM who had higher proportions of genetically-inferred African or admixed ancestry obtained equitable efficacy with idecabtagene vicleucel, compared to those with predominantly European ancestry, according to a single-center retrospective analysis published in Blood Cancer Journal.

Deeper clinical responses more likely with higher belantamab starting doses
Belantamab mafodotin (BEL) combined with bortezomib and dexamethasone (BVd) is approved in the EU, the UK, Japan, and Canada for treating patients with relapsed/refractory MM (RRMM) after ≥1 prior therapy. An exposure-response analysis showed that a higher BEL dose (2.5 mg/kg), in the BVd regimen, yielded deeper and faster clinical responses without meaningful increases in adverse effects, compared to a 1.9 mg/kg dose of BEL. These data were reported in the British Journal of Cancer.

 Review explores biological and clinical significance of CTCs in MM
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) may offer a complementary approach to bone marrow biopsy-based disease detection and molecular characterization in MM. A review published in the American Journal of Hematology explores the role of CTCs as a prognostic biomarker and the potential for use of CTCs in tracking minimal residual disease in MM.

Viral reactivation is common, but asymptomatic, after CAR-T therapy
According to an analysis of viral reactivations in 75 patients receiving anti-BCMA CAR-T therapy for MM, cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus reactivation occurred in 20% and 8% of patients. However, most (87%) CMV reactivations were asymptomatic, clinically insignificant, and had no impact on overall mortality, according to the report in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

Teclistamab interferes with detection of anti-BCMA CAR T-cells
Measurement of circulating CAR T-cells using labeled BCMA-based multiparametric flow cytometry is a common method for monitoring expansion/persistence of anti-BCMA CAR T-cells. This approach can yield false-positive results in patients treated with teclistamab, for ≥2.5 months after cessation of teclistamab therapy, according to an analysis reported in Leukemia.