J&J takes the fast lane to cancer treatment! Its new drug, a bispecific antibody, has been granted accelerated approval from the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Janssen Pharmaceutical, J&J’s subsidiary, celebrated the news with an official announcement Thursday.
J&J’s groundbreaking treatment Talvey (talquetamab-tgvs) is a pioneering bispecific antibody that bridges T-cells and cancerous myeloma cells. Binding to the CD3 receptor on the T-cell surface and a receptor on myeloma cells, Talvey helps the body’s immune system to effectively destroy the disease. It’s an exciting leap forward in myeloma treatment options.
A Phase II study yielded a remarkable result; 73.6% of the patients with at least four previous treatments, including bispecific antibodies or CAR-T cell therapy, responded to the treatment. Their responses have been proven to be highly durable; with a median duration of 9.5 months in the lower dose group, and the median duration of response yet to be reached in the higher dose arm. This ground-breaking achievement has led to the accelerated approval of the treatment.
Multiple myeloma patients are facing a grim prognosis, but the efficacy of CAR-T therapy has been remarkably successful in this critically ill patient population, according to Dr. Ajai Chari, director of the multiple myeloma program at UCSF. These promising results have given renewed hope to those living with the disease.
The FDA recently released a Boxed Warning for Talvey, highlighting the risk of both cytokine release syndrome and neurologic toxicity, including immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome. Be aware: with these potential side effects, it’s essential to weigh the benefits and risks before taking Talvey.
Living with a chronic blood cancer can be an emotional rollercoaster, yet those affected strive to stay positive as they go through a range of treatments to help extend life, knowing remission is within reach.
In an unprecedented move, Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen division has released their second bispecific antibody against multiple myeloma. Tecvayli, which was approved last fall, is a fifth line, subcutaneous treatment that acts on the same receptor at the surface of the cancer cells- enabling robust, targeted attack. This groundbreaking advance looks to revolutionize the treatment of multiple myeloma.
Despite stringent restrictions, such as those under a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) program, the approval of these two drugs was forecasted to generate annual sales of over $2 billion. Such monitoring and counseling for patients has turned out to be a sound investment, firmly underscoring the potential returns of such an approach.
Janssen, the pharmaceutical company part of Johnson & Johnson, has been on a mission to provide more treatments for multiple myeloma patients. While they have already achieved success with five treatments currently on the market, their goal is even larger: by the end of the decade, they strive to have three out of every four multiple myeloma patients beginning their treatment on a Janssen containing regimen. Joaquin Duato, J&J’s CEO, spoke about this ambition on a second-quarter earnings call. Janssen is driven to fulfill their goal, and provide more treatments to those in need.