The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson announced today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of DARZALEX® (daratumumab) in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone (Rd) for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). The approval is based on results from the Phase 3 MAIA (MMY3008) clinical study, which showed that DARZALEX-Rd significantly reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 44 percent compared to treatment with Rd alone.1 The application received approval through the U.S. FDA’s Real-Time Oncology Review (RTOR) pilot program.
“Multiple myeloma can become more difficult to treat after relapse, so it is important that patients receive an efficacious upfront therapy with a goal of extending their first remission period,” said Saad Usmani, M.D., FACP, Department of Hematologic Oncology and Blood Disorders, Levine Cancer Institute/Carolinas HealthCare System, and a lead investigator of the MAIA study. “This daratumumab regimen offers an important frontline treatment option for this patient population, and it has been submitted to the NCCN Multiple Myeloma Panel for review and consideration for potential inclusion in the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines.”
