EC okays Celgene’s REVLIMID (lenalidomide) and IMNOVID (pomalidomide) combination therapies.

The blood cancer multiple myeloma is rare but potentially fatal. Approximately 42,000 people in Europe are diagnosed with the disease and 26,000 die each year. Initially, patients suffer from periods of symptomatic myeloma separated by periods of remission, with the majority eventually becoming nonresponsive to treatment.

Two new combination treatments based on immunomodulatory imide drugs (IMiD agents) will be reaching the European market soon, though, that could improve those statistics. Celgene recently received approval from the European Commission for two different triple combination therapies for multiple myeloma.

REVLIMID (lenalidomide) in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone (RVd) has been approved for the treatment of adult patients with previously untreated multiple myeloma who are not eligible for transplant. IMNOVID (pomalidomide) in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone (PVd) was approved for the treatment of adult patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior treatment regimen including lenalidomide.

Notably, REVLIMID in combination with dexamethasone is already a standard of care in multiple myeloma. The new triple therapy RVd has been shown to significantly prolong the first remission period in multiple myeloma patients that have not previously received any treatment. PVd can be given to patients when they have their first relapse due to non-responsiveness to REVLIMID-based regimens.