Wearable on-body injector for subcutaneous isatuximab approved by US FDA
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved subcutaneous isatuximab, delivered via an on-body injector, across all newly diagnosed and relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (MM) indications for the intravenous formulation of isatuximab. The approval was based on data from the pivotal phase 3 IRAKLIA and the phase 2 IZALCO and IsaSocut studies.

IMS Genomics Workshop tackles challenging risk concepts in MM, potential definitions, and treatment approaches
The International Myeloma Society (IMS)-International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) consensus definition of high-risk multiple myeloma (MM), published in 2025, represented the first step in genomics-guided myeloma risk stratification. Building upon this work, the 2026 IMS Genomics Workshop focused on two challenging risk concepts in MM that represent significant unmet needs — functional high-risk (FHR), a retrospectively defined entity characterized by unexpected early relapse, and ultra high-risk (uHR), a disease entity associated with early mortality. Sessions and discussions focused on strategies for identifying patients with FHR and uHR myeloma, avenues for future research, unanswered questions and challenges, and contemporary/emerging therapeutic approaches.

Immune cell profiles prior to and after CAR T-cell infusion prognosticate survival
The composition of and changes in immune cells in the bone marrow can impact response to treatment and toxicity, especially in the context of T-cell redirecting therapies. By analyzing immune cell dynamics in idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel) recipients in the KarMMa trial, researchers identified immune cell profile-/phenotype-based biomarkers associated with progression-free survival (PFS). The findings, reported in Hemasphere, highlight the prognostic importance of host T-cell phenotypes prior to apheresis and host and infused CAR T-cell dynamics post-infusion on PFS outcomes.

Concurrent BCMA and GPRC5D CAR T-cell infusion has potential, but also challenges
Combining therapies that target different mechanistic pathways is a long-standing principle in MM treatment. A phase 1 dose escalation trial reported in Blood showed that concurrent administration of BCMA- and GPRC5D-directed CAR T-cells was safe and feasible in heavily pretreated patients with relapsed/refractory MM. Although the strategy yielded preliminary efficacy, with a median PFS of 18.2 months, dual-CAR recipients had significantly lower BCMA-CAR expansion compared with patients who received BCAM-CAR alone. 

Opioid use is elevated in individuals over two years prior to MM diagnosis
Delayed diagnosis of MM is common, due to presentation with non-specific signs and symptoms, including pain. A nationwide analysis of pre-diagnostic opioid use in nearly 7,000 MM patients in Denmark and over 101,000 matched population controls showed increased use of opioids among patients diagnosed with myeloma, first starting around 2.25 years before diagnosis, with a consistent increase closer to diagnosis. The analysis, published in Scientific Reports, also showed an association of high pre-diagnostic opioid use with shorter overall survival.

LLMs have limited sensitivity for detecting MM in patients presenting with pain
According to a retrospective comparative study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT 5.1 and DeepSeek V3.2 may help with text-based triage and identification of musculoskeletal disorders in patients presenting with lower back pain. However, the LLMs demonstrated limited sensitivity in flagging patients with MM, with persistent safety-risk errors despite incorporation of structured inputs.