(Reuters) – British drugmaker GSK said on Monday its experimental cancer drug Blenrep in combination with other treatments reduced the risk of death by 42% in multiple myeloma, a common type of blood cancer, at or after first relapse compared to an existing treatment.
An interim analysis of data from a trial dubbed ‘DREAMM-7’ showed the drug in combination with the drug bortezomib plus the steroid dexamethasone showed statistically significant overall survival results compared to a standard of care daratumumab combination as a second line or later treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, GSK said.
Multiple myeloma is the third most common type of blood cancer and is generally considered treatable but not curable.
The data projects that on average, patients on the Blenrep combination will survive nearly three years longer, GSK said.
“This represents an important advancement that could redefine the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma,” GSK’s head of oncology Hesham Abdullah said in a statement.
GSK is gearing up for five major new drug launches in 2025, including Blenrep – which the company expects to have a more than 3 billion pound ($3.83 billion) peak year sales potential.
Blenrep had seen several setbacks over the last couple of years after it was pulled from the U.S. markets in 2022 after failing a late-stage study designed to show that it was better than an existing treatment.
However, positive results from the DREAMM-7 and DREAMM-8 trials over the past year could mean a comeback for the drug.
GSK has recently refiled a license application for Blenrep in combinations with bortezomib plus dexamethasone and pomalidomide plus dexamethasone. The US Food and Drug Administration is expected to make a decision in July 2025.
Earlier on Monday, GSK said the Blenrep combination was accepted for priority review in China in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.
($1 = 0.7833 pounds)
(Reporting by Yadarisa Shabong in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
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