The CAR-T cancer therapy called Abecma reduced the risk of multiple myeloma relapse by half compared to standard treatment, according to results of a Phase 3 clinical trial published Friday.
The positive study outcome could lead to Abecma being used earlier in the course of treatment for patients with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer affecting cells in the bone marrow. More patients benefiting from the personalized cell therapy would also mean higher sales for its makers, Bristol Myers Squibb and 2Seventy Bio, a biotech company.
Abecma is made from white blood cells taken from a patient and genetically engineered to recognize and kill blood cancer cells expressing a protein target called BCMA. It was approved in 2021 based on a single-arm study that showed a tumor response in 72% of enrolled patients with multiple myeloma no longer responsive to four or more prior treatments.
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