COMy 2021 | BiTEs in myeloma – when and who?
Hermann Einsele, MD, FRCP, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany, outlines the current utilization of bispecifc T-cell engagers (BiTEs) for the treatment of multiple myeloma. BiTEs have demonstrated favorable efficacy results in clinical trials, eliciting high rates of deep responses with only mild toxicity. BiTEs are currently used as a late line treatment approach in patients with relapsed/refractory disease and in patients not eligible for transplant. Bringing them to an earlier line of therapy to prolong progression-free survival is of increasing interest. This interview took place during the 7th World Congress on Controversies in Multiple Myeloma (COMy), 2021.
Transcript (edited for clarity)
Bispecific antibodies are clearly moving into the clinic and patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma are treated with bispecific antibodies. One format of these bispecific antibodies is a BiTE, which is a very small molecule with a short half-life. And it’s the only form of a bispecific antibody that is already approved for clinical use. At the moment bispecific antibodies are mainly used in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, third or fourth line treatment, or even beyond this...
Bispecific antibodies are clearly moving into the clinic and patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma are treated with bispecific antibodies. One format of these bispecific antibodies is a BiTE, which is a very small molecule with a short half-life. And it’s the only form of a bispecific antibody that is already approved for clinical use. At the moment bispecific antibodies are mainly used in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, third or fourth line treatment, or even beyond this.
So what we know is that patients show nice responses. We’ve seen a response rate up to 80 or higher than 80 percent. Up to 50 percent complete remissions, and the toxicity was rather mild. So I guess that also elderly patients, non-transplant eligible patients can be treated with bispecific antibodies, or as we also call them, T-cell engagers. I guess that they are increasingly being used in earlier lines of therapy to further increase the efficacy, and also to prolong progression-free survival.
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