Shaji K. Kumar, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, commented on the findings. “Patients with myeloma are living longer, but the disease comes back in the majority. We really need new drugs, and I think the main message of this study is that clearly patients do live longer on this combination,” he said.

When asked whether pomalidomide might replace lenalidomide in myeloma, he pointed out that this would not be done in the absence of formal comparisons of the two immunomodulatory agents. “I am not sure that is even necessary,” he added, “because we look at pomalidomide as being able to work in about one-third of patients in whom lenalidomide has stopped working. We are thinking of each of these drugs as building blocks for improving survival in myeloma.” ■

Disclosure: Dr. Kumar reported no potential conflicts of interest.