Dr. Chari on the FDA Approval of Belantamab Mafodotin in R/R Multiple Myeloma

Ajai Chari, MD, a professor of medicine, a hematologist, and an oncologist at Mount Sinai Hospital, discusses the approval of belantamab mafodotin-blmf (Blenrep) in ​relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. 

Belantamab mafodotin in an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that is composed of a toxin attached to a cytotoxic payload, says Chari. Moreover, the agent targets BCMA, and the conjugate is monomethyl auristatin F. 

Notably, ​the agent was FDA approved on August 5, 2020 for ​the treatment of adult patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma who have received 4 prior lines of therapy, including an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody, a proteasome inhibitor, and an immunomodulatory drug. 

​The approval was based on findings from the phase 2 DREAMM-2 trial, ​which demonstrated an overall response rate of 31% in patients who received the recommended 2.5 mg/kg dose of belantamab mafodotin and 34% in patients who received the 3.4 mg/kg dose.