“These are very exciting data,” said Ravi Vij, MD, Professor of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine. “To see such responses in a phase I study in such a relapsed/refractory disease is indeed amazing.”

“We have already seen the value of immunomodulatory drugs and monoclonal antibodies in the treatment of myeloma. At this ASH Annual Meeting, we also heard exciting data on the PD-1 [programmed cell death protein 1] inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in combination with immunomodulatory drugs. Now this adds CAR-T cells to the expanding literature on the use of immune–oncology-based therapeutics approaches in the arena of multiple myeloma.” ■

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