Dr. Mims on the Emergence of Targeted Therapy in AML

Alice S. Mims, MD, medical oncologist, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center—James, discusses the emergence of targeted therapy in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treatment.

The introduction of targeted therapies, including IDH inhibitors and FLT3 inhibitors, has greatly changed the AML treatment paradigm, particularly the approval of enasidenib (Idhifa), ivosidenib (Tibsovo), and gilteritinib (Xospata), among others, explains Mims.

In March 2017, the FDA approved the IDH2 inhibitor enasidenib for the treatment of patients with IDH2-mutated relapsed/refractory AML. A little over 2 years later, the IDH1 inhibitor ivosidenib was FDA approved in May 2019 for newly diagnosed patients who are ineligible for intensive chemotherapy who are ages 75 or older; it is also approved in the relapsed/refractory setting. The FLT3 inhibitor gilteritinib was FDA approved in November 2018 to treat patients who have FLT3-ITD— or FLT3-TKD–mutated relapsed/refractory AML.