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New Hope for Relapsed Multiple Myeloma and AL Amyloidosis Patients with Lisaftoclax

Published: 6/18/2024
      
lisaftoclax
relapsed multiple myeloma
AL amyloidosis
Ascentage Pharma
Bcl-2 inhibitor
pomalidomide
dexamethasone
EHA 2024
neutropenia
new treatment options

Key Takeaways

  • Lisaftoclax shows promise in treating relapsed multiple myeloma.
  • The combination treatment is well-tolerated with fewer severe side effects.
  • Ascentage Pharma continues to advance its clinical development programs.

Did You Know?

Did you know that multiple myeloma accounts for about 10% of all blood cancers?

Introduction to Lisaftoclax

Ascentage Pharma, a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel treatments for various diseases, has released new data on its investigational drug, lisaftoclax. This new data was shared at the 2024 European Hematology Association Hybrid Congress (EHA 2024), held in Madrid, Spain.

What is Lisaftoclax?

Lisaftoclax is an investigational drug designed to inhibit Bcl-2, a protein that can prevent the natural death of cancer cells. It is being studied in combination with other treatments for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (MM) and immunoglobulin light-chain (AL) amyloidosis.

Combination Treatments Show Promise

The most promising combination for lisaftoclax involves pomalidomide and dexamethasone. These combined treatments have shown impressive results in patients suffering from relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. The study reported that this combination achieved a very good partial response (VGPR) rate of 33.3% in these patients.

Such a high rate of VGPR means that these patients experienced significant shrinking of their tumors, offering them newfound hope and potentially extending their lives.

Safety Profile

One of the critical aspects of any cancer treatment is its safety profile. The updated data highlights an incidence of 14.3% for Grade 3 or higher treatment-related neutropenia. This means the combination of these drugs is relatively well-tolerated, presenting fewer severe side effects compared to existing treatments.

Expert Opinions

Professor Sikander Ailawadhi from the Mayo Clinic emphasized the significance of these findings. According to Dr. Ailawadhi, lisaftoclax with pomalidomide could offer a vital treatment option for patients who have exhausted other therapies.

Ascentage Pharma's Commitment

Dr. Yifan Zhai, Chief Medical Officer of Ascentage Pharma, assured that the company is committed to advancing the clinical development of lisaftoclax. Ascentage Pharma aims to provide safe and effective treatment options for patients battling relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma and AL amyloidosis.

The Significance of EHA Congress

The European Hematology Association Hybrid Congress is the largest annual gathering in the hematology field in Europe, drawing over 10,000 medical experts and researchers worldwide. This event offers a platform for showcasing groundbreaking research and innovative treatments.

Additional Research on the Horizon

Apart from lisaftoclax, Ascentage Pharma also presented data on other investigational drugs such as olverembatinib and APG-5918. These drugs are aimed at treating various forms of cancer and other severe diseases.

About Ascentage Pharma

Ascentage Pharma specializes in developing drugs that inhibit protein-protein interactions essential for cancer cell survival. With a global portfolio of drug candidates, the company is conducting numerous clinical trials to bring innovative treatments to the market.

Conclusively, the updates on lisaftoclax signify a major leap towards finding viable therapies for patients with limited options.

References

  1. Ascentage Pharma
    https://www.ascentagepharma.com
  2. European Hematology Association
    https://ehaweb.org
  3. Mayo Clinic
    https://www.mayoclinic.org