Daratumumab in addition to pomalidomide and dexamethasone for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma

Daratumumab in addition to pomalidomide and dexamethasone is in clinical development for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (MM). MM is a rare, incurable cancer of the plasma cells in the bone marrow where large amounts of abnormal plasma cells are produced and interfere with the production of red and white blood cells and platelets. People with MM will experience periods of time without symptoms followed by periods when the illness comes back (‘relapsed’ MM). Eventually the periods without symptoms will shorten and the illness will become immune to the treatment (‘refractory’ MM). Most patients will experience serial relapse to existing treatments at some point during their disease course, hence the need for newer treatment combination options.
Daratumumab is a type of immune therapy that acts by inhibiting the growth of cancer cells in MM via a surface protein called CD38. Daratumumab monotherapy is already licenced for relapsed/refractory MM. Pomalidomide in combination with dexamethasone is also currently licenced to treat relapsed/refractory MM. Early findings from trials have demonstrated that the addition of daratumumab to pomalidomide and dexamethasone may further stimulate the immune system and directly act against cancer cells in MM, potentially providing another treatment option for patients whose disease has progressed on previous treatments.