FDA (re)approves belantamab mafodotin for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma
Cancer Drug Pulled From Market Regains FDA Approval
(MedPage Today) “A B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-targeted agent, belantamab mafodotin is now indicated in combination with bortezomib (Velcade) and dexamethasone (BVd) for the treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received at least two prior lines of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor and an immunomodulatory drug.”

Additional biosimilars for bone-modifying supportive care agent gain approval
Two More Denosumab Biosimilars Approved in the US
(Medscape Medical News) “The FDA has approved two new drugs that are biosimilars to denosumab, adding to the ever-expanding field of less expensive options of the popular anti-osteoporosis and cancer-related bone loss drug; however, savings on such drugs so far have been modest.”

Standardizing language around the definition of high-risk myeloma
A new IMS-IMWG Consensus Genomic Staging definition for high-risk myeloma was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology in July 2025. A study, presented at the 2025 IMS Annual Meeting and subsequently reported in Blood, validated the IMS-IMWG definition in 6,528 patients with newly diagnosed myeloma. “Ultimately, this uniform definition will help the field identify optimum therapies and ultimately tailor therapy for these difficult to manage patients,” Jonathan Keats, PhD, said, in an interview with Medscape Medical News.

Approaching a “functional cure” for myeloma
Achieving Cure in Multiple Myeloma
(MedPage Today) “Since the beginning of this century, advances in understanding the biology of multiple myeloma have transformed the disease from universally fatal to curable for a substantial proportion of patients. Many more patients attain long-term survival with good quality of life, or what some researchers and clinicians call ‘functional cure.’”

Long-term immune remodeling following CAR-T therapy in patients with multiple myeloma
Despite high response rates with chimeric antigen T-cell receptor (CAR-T) therapy, diminishing response over time and therapeutic resistance are common clinical concerns. A single-cell transcriptomic profiling analysis published in Leukemia identified a potential predictive marker of response—a transitional endogenous CD8+ T-cell population that correlated with poorer outcomes and lower CAR-T persistence.

Potential role for oncogenic long non-coding RNA MALAT1 in lenalidomide resistance
Resistance to lenalidomide is a significant challenge in multiple myeloma. A report published in the Journal of Translational Medicine explored the role of a highly conserved long non-coding RNA, MALAT 1, in promoting drug resistance in primary patient samples and lenalidomide-resistant MM cell lines.