Researchers have found that venetoclax in combination with azacitidine may be effective at treating patients with multiple myeloma, according to a recent study published by Flanagan et al in Haematologica.
Background
Despite recent advances in the treatment of multiple myeloma, the disease remains incurable. The search for innovative treatment strategies is crucial, particularly in patients whose cancer has become resistant to standard care.
Venetoclax—which is currently approved to treat leukemia—works by blocking the function of the BCL-2 protein. However, the drug was only found to be effective in a small proportion of patients with multiple myeloma.
Study Methods and Results
In the recent study, the researchers sought to identify complementary drugs that would enhance the efficacy of venetoclax. They discovered that combining venetoclax with azacitidine significantly increased its effectiveness across many multiple myeloma cell lines, indicating that the treatment combination could benefit a broader patient population.
The researchers then investigated the mechanisms behind venetoclax plus azacitidine and demonstrated that the novel drug combination was effective in patient samples from different stages of multiple myeloma, regardless of whether the patient had been previously undergone chemotherapy.
Conclusions
“This research is a significant step in identifying more effective treatment options for multiple myeloma. By combining venetoclax and [azacitidine], we’ve seen enhanced efficacy across a wide range of patient samples. It shows the benefits of reevaluating existing treatments in new contexts to expand their potential,” highlighted senior study author Tríona Ní Chonghaile, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Physiology and Medical Physics at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI).
“Discovering the potential of this new drug combination is a promising development. Our next goal is to test for efficacy and safety for multiple myeloma in a clinical trial setting to bring us closer to offering a new treatment strategy for patients,” concluded co–study author Siobhán Glavey, MB BCh BAO, PhD, Chair of the Department of Pathology at RCSI and a clinician scientist at the Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre.
Disclosure: The research in this study was supported by the Leukemia Research Foundation, Breakthrough Cancer Research, and AbbVie. For full disclosures of the study authors, visit haematologica.org.
