Farydak/Kyprolis ORR tops Velcade combo in MM

Data due to be presented Tuesday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago showed a combination of Farydak panobinostat from Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS; SIX:NOVN) and Kyprolis carfilzomib from Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) led to an 82% objective response rate (ORR) in a Phase I/II trial to treat relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

Walter Capone, president and CEO of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, told BioCentury last year that the combo could serve as a potential replacement for Farydak plus Velcade bortezomib as a "more appropriate and more beneficial" regimen for MM. The Phase III PANORAMA-1 trial of Farydak plus Velcade and dexamethasone had led to an ORR of 61% in relapsed or refractory MM patients (see BioCentury, Nov. 17, 2014). ...