Dan Vogl, MD
MYELOMA SPECIALIST Dan Vogl, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, told The ASCO Post that the potential use of daratumumab (Darzalex) in amyloid light-chain amyloidosis is “exciting.” The drug could answer an unmet need in relapsed disease and become a less toxic and potentially more potent front-line agent as well, he commented.
“There is an unmet need in amyloid light-chain amyloidosis in that some of our patients will get initial chemotherapy directed against the plasma cell clone and either have an insufficient response or relapse after treatment. Having a drug like daratumumab, which can induce very good free light-chain responses without a lot of toxicity, is certainly an exciting option. Many patients are limited by the agents they can receive or tolerate,” he said.
“The other exciting aspect is that our current front-line options still leave something to be desired and could be improved upon,” he added. “Although the studies by Roussel and Sanchorawala were specifically for relapsed patients, we are all excited about the potential of bringing daratumumab into the treatment paradigm earlier and having the possibility of achieving even faster free light-chain responses.” ■
DISCLOSURE: Dr. Vogl has been a consultant for Janssen, Karyopharm, Celgene, Millennium/Takeda, and Teva.
