©ASH/Rodney White 2018
Sign announcing ASH 2018
SAN DIEGO—Ixazomib improved progression-free survival (PFS) following autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) in the TOURMALINE-MM3 trial.
The oral proteasome inhibitor improved PFS by 39% compared to placebo.
In addition, treatment with ixazomib was well tolerated, and there was a low discontinuation rate.
TOURMALINE-MM3 is the first-ever randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of a proteasome inhibitor used as maintenance after ASCT, according to Meletios A. Dimopoulos, MD, of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in Greece.
Dr. Dimopoulos presented results from the trial at the 2018 ASH Annual Meeting (abstract 301).
He said the results suggest ixazomib represents a new treatment option for maintenance after ASCT in MM.
“Proteasome inhibitors have a different mechanism of action and may provide an alternative to lenalidomide,” Dr. Dimopoulos said.
He noted that ixazomib has a manageable toxicity profile and “convenient” weekly oral dosing, making it “well suited” for maintenance.
The TOURMALINE-MM3 study (NCT02181413) included 656 MM patients randomized post-ASCT to receive weekly ixazomib or placebo for up to 2 years.
The median PFS was 26.5 months for ixazomib and 21.3 months for placebo (hazard ratio=0.720; 95% confidence interval, 0.582-0.890; P=0.002).
At a median follow-up of 31 months, the median overall survival has not been reached in either treatment arm.
The discontinuation rate due to adverse events was 7% for ixazomib and 5% for placebo.
Ixazomib was associated with “low toxicity,” Dr Dimopoulos said, and there was no difference in the rates of new primary malignancies, at 3% in both arms.
When asked by an attendee whether ixazomib would become the standard of care for younger MM patients in this setting, Dr. Dimopoulos said the results show that ixazomib “is an option for patients, especially for those where a physician may believe that a proteasome inhibitor may be indicated.”
However, when pressed to comment on how ixazomib compares with lenalidomide for maintenance, Dr. Dimopoulos remarked that current maintenance studies are moving in the direction of combining therapies.
“I think that instead of saying, ‘Is ixazomib better than lenalidomide or vice-versa,’ it is better to see how one may combine those drugs in subsets of patients or even combine these drugs with other agents,” he said.
A manuscript describing results of the TOURMALINE-MM3 study is in press at The Lancet, with an expected online publication date of December 10, Dr. Dimopoulos said.
TOURMALINE-MM3 is sponsored by Takeda (Millennium), the maker of ixazomib.
Dr. Dimopoulos reported honoraria and consultancy with Janssen, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Celgene.