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Revlimid Granted Approval For Multiple Myeloma In Japan – Celgene announced last week that Revlimid (lenalidomide) has been approved for the treatment of relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma in combination with dexamethasone (Decadron) in Japan. Revlimid will be available through Revmate, a proprietary distribution program. For more information, please read the Celgene press release.

Immunomedics Doses First Multiple Myeloma Patient With Milatuzumab-Doxorubicin Combination – Immunomedics has dosed the first patient in a Phase 1/2 study of its milatuzumab-based treatment for multiple myeloma. This treatment has doxorubicin (Adriamycin), a chemotherapy drug, bound to milatuzumab, an antibody. It will be evaluated for its efficacy as a treatment for relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma patients. For more information, please see the Immunomedics press release and the clinical trial description.

ImmunoGen And Sanofi-Aventis Announce Beginning Of Phase 1 Trial Of Potential New Myeloma Treatment – ImmunoGen Inc. and Sanofi-Aventis announced the initiation of a Phase 1 clinical trial of SAR650984, an antibody that targets cancer cells. In preclinical testing, SAR650984 was found to have anti-cancer effects, and is now being investigated as a treatment for relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma as well as other blood cancers. For more information, please refer to the ImmunoGen press release.

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European Medicines Agency Approves Addition Of Survival Data To Velcade Prescribing Information – On June 15, Janssen-Cilag announced that the European Medicines Agency approved the addition of data to the prescribing information for Velcade (bortezomib) showing that Velcade extends survival in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients. Results of an international Phase 3 study showed that the combination therapy of Velcade, melphalan (Alkeran), and prednisone elicits significantly higher complete response and overall survival rates among patients than melphalan and prednisone alone (see related Beacon news). For more information, please see the Janssen-Cilag press release.

IMF Holds Inaugural Myeloma Summit Meeting – The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) invited leading myeloma experts to speak about the future of multiple myeloma care and treatment at their first summit meeting in North Hollywood, CA. The summit took place on the heels of the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting. Topics for discussion included the use and timing of stem cell transplants, treatment goals, and the management of peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage to the extremities). The summit’s working group will issue consensus statements in the near future to guide treatment and further clinical trials. For more information, please read the IMF press release.

Phase 1/2b Study Of Arno Therapeutics’ Myeloma Drug Candidate AR-42 Treats First Patient – Arno Therapeutics announced treatment of the first patient with AR-42 in a Phase 1/2b study evaluating the drug for the treatment of advanced multiple myeloma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and lymphoma. Researchers will evaluate the drug’s safety, activity, and dosage limits. For more information, please see the Arno Therapeutics press release and the clinical trial description.

NCI Begins Phase 2 Study Of AZD6244 In Relapsed/Refractory Myeloma Patients – The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is launching a Phase 2 trial of AZD6244, a molecule that inhibits biochemical processes important to the survival of myeloma cells. The study is evaluating AZD6244 as a treatment for relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma. For more information or to participate in the trial, please contact the research nurse for this study, Mary Ann Yancey, at (301) 435-9227 or , or visit the clinical trial Web page.

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Myeloma Expert Dr. James R. Berenson To Field Questions At The Beacon Forums Next Week –Multiple myeloma patients will once again have the opportunity to get expert answers to their myeloma-related questions: Leading myeloma expert Dr. James R. Berenson, founder of the Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research, will answer medical questions posted to the Beacon’s multiple myeloma forums during the upcoming week. Readers are encouraged to begin posting their questions in the forums.

Potential Myeloma Treatment Mapatumumab Fails In Phase 2 Trials – Human Genome Sciences announced on Wednesday that results from a recent Phase 2 trial showed that mapatumumab (HGS-ETR1) in combination with Velcade (bortezomib) did not lead to better response rates or progression-free survival than Velcade alone. However, the treatment was well tolerated in trial participants. For more information, please see the Human Genome Sciences press release.

PharmaMar Initiates Phase 3 Myeloma Trial Of Plitidepsin – Spanish company PharmaMar on Tuesday announced the start of enrollment for an international Phase 3 trial of plitidepsin (proposed brand name: Aplidin) in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma patients. The trial will enroll 300 patients and will test plitidepsin in combination with dexamethasone (Decadron) vs. dexamethasone alone. Plitidepsin is an antitumor agent of marine origin that is synthetically produced. For more information, please see the PharmaMar press release and the trial information at ClinicalTrials.gov.

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U.K. Agency Recommends Velcade and Thalidomide For Myeloma Patients – The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), the agency that decides which treatments will be funded for patients in England and Wales, released a final draft guidance on June 2 recommending that Velcade (bortezomib) and thalidomide (Thalomid) can be used as first-line treatments for multiple myeloma patients who are not candidates for stem cell transplants. Both drugs are currently recommended as second-line treatments. The final guidance deciding the use of Velcade and thalidomide in the U.K. is expected later this year. For more information, please see the NICE website.

15th Congress Of The European Hematology Association – As a reminder to Beacon readers, the European Hematology Association (EHA) will hold its 15th meeting from June 10 to 13 in Barcelona, Spain.  European researchers and physicians will meet to present the latest research findings about multiple myeloma and other blood disorders.  The Myeloma Beacon will also be covering the event on its website.  For more information, please visit the EHA Congress website.

MMRF Race For Research – On June 13, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) will hold a Race For Research 5K Walk/Run in New Canaan, CT, to raise awareness and funds for multiple myeloma research. Registration is scheduled for 7:30 a.m., and the race starts at 9 a.m. For more information, please see the MMRF website.

For a more detailed listing of myeloma-related events, please check the Myeloma Beacon Events Calendar.

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Myeloma Experts From Ohio State University To Field Questions At The Beacon Forums Next Week – As a way of giving multiple myeloma patients an opportunity to get expert answers to their myeloma-related questions, The Myeloma Beacon has arranged for physicians from The Ohio State University’s Myeloma Clinic to answer medical questions posted to the Beacon forums during the upcoming week. The center has a number of young, enthusiastic myeloma specialists who are eager to answer forum readers’ questions. One of the experts, Dr. Craig Hofmeister, has already provided answers to a number of forum questions. Readers are encouraged to begin posting their questions to the forums.

Boehringer Ingelheim And Micromet Announce Cooperation For Experimental Multiple Myeloma Treatment – Boehringer Ingelheim and Micromet announced last week that they will collaborate on the development of BiTE antibodies for the treatment of multiple myeloma. BiTE antibodies, which were discovered by Micromet, target the body’s immune system toward tumor cells. The two companies will conduct pre-clinical studies together. Boehringer Ingelheim will be responsible for the clinical development of the treatment. For more information, please see the Boehringer Ingelheim press release.

Celebrity Michael McKean Wins $1 Million On Jeopardy! For International Myeloma Foundation – Michael McKean, a film and television show actor, writer, and director, was the champion of last week’s Jeopardy! celebrity tournament. McKean donated the grand prize of $1 million to the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) to be used for patient and family education programs as well as multiple myeloma research. For more information, please see the IMF press release.