Celgene study reveals Revlimid benefits for smouldering multiple myeloma

Celgene has published a new clinical study showing the potential benefit Revlimid (lenalidomide) can offer in the treatment of smouldering multiple myeloma.

The drug is not currently approved for this specification, but a phase III trial conducted by the company has shown that it could offer survival benefits for patients.

According to results from the study presented at the American Society of Hematology's (ASH's) annual meeting, a combination of lenalidomide and dexamethasone, followed by continuous lenalidomide, can delay time to symptomatic disease and improve survival rates compared with observation.

Observation is the current standard of care for high-risk asymptomatic smouldering multiple myeloma and offered a 76 percent overall survival rate over three years in the trial, compared to 93 percent for the Revlimid patients.

This was one of a number of new studies published on Revlimid at the ASH conference, with another trial showing its potential benefits for newly diagnosed cases among patients who are ineligible for stem cell therapy.