Immunotherapy for Myeloma
Immunotherapy is treatment that engages the patient’s own immune system to attack their myeloma. Currently, there are three types of immunotherapies approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of myeloma.
Monoclonal antibodies (mAb)
Manufactured in a laboratory rather than made by your own body, monoclonal antibodies are designed to bind to targeted cells and kill myeloma cells directly, plus recruit surrounding immune cells to enhance the myeloma-killing process.
Darzalex ® (daratumumab)
Darzalex Faspro® (daratumumab + hyaluronidase-fihj)
Empliciti® (elotuzumab)
Sarclisa® (isatuximab-irfc)
Monoclonal antibodies are given on a prescribed schedule, administered either as an intravenous (IV) infusion or a subcutaneous (under the skin) injection. Monoclonal antibodies are a ready-to-use therapy that can be given in the community setting.
Bispecific antibodies (bsAb)
Manufactured in a laboratory rather than made by your own body, bispecific antibodies are a combination of two immunotherapy approaches in one drug. The drug has two (“bi”) arms to attach to targeted cells. Typically, one arm attaches to an antigen on the myeloma cell, like a monoclonal antibody. The other arm attaches to a local immune cell (usually a T cell).
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Bispecific antibodies are a dual threat to myeloma by attaching both to a myeloma cell and to an immune cell.
Elrexfio® (elranatamab-bcmm)
Lynozyfic™ (linvoseltamab-gcpt)
Talvey ® (talquetamab-tgvs)
Tecvayli® (teclistamab-cqyv)
Bispecific antibodies are given on a prescribed schedule, administered either as an intravenous (IV) infusion or a subcutaneous (under the skin) injection. Bispecific antibodies are a ready-to-use therapy that can be given in a community setting.
CAR T-cell therapy
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is given as a one-time infusion at a specialized treatment center. The process is as follows: (1) T cells are collected from the patient’s bloodstream, (2) these cells are modified to produce receptors that recognize the patient’s myeloma cells, (3) the engineered T cells are multiplied in a laboratory in large numbers, (4) the engineered T cells are re-infused into the patient, (5) the engineered T cells begin to destroy the patient’s myeloma cells.
Abecma® (idecabtagene vicleucel)
Carvykti® (ciltacabtagene autoleucel)
For more detailed information about these and other myeloma therapies, visit publications.myeloma.org to read, download, or request printed publications. To access more information online, go to medications.myeloma.org or use the QR code below.
As always, the IMF urges you to discuss all medical issues with your doctor and to contact the IMF InfoLine with your myeloma-related questions and concerns at 1.818.487.7455 or InfoLine@myeloma.org . myeloma.org