Dr. Morgan on the Role of Venetoclax in Multiple Myeloma

Gareth J. Morgan, MD, PhD, a professor in the Department of Medicine and director of Multiple Myeloma Research at NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, discusses the role of venetoclax (Venclexta) in treating patients with multiple myeloma.

Venetoclax is an antiapoptotic drug that targets BCL-2, explains Morgan. Although most myelomas are not dependent on BCL-2, they are dependent on MCL1. In most cases, venetoclax is not as effective in all-comers compared with the t(11;14) subgroup, which accounts for about 20% of patients with multiple myeloma, explains Morgan.

The responses with the agent in the t(11;14) subgroup are significant and, according to Morgan, the benefit is even greater when the agent is combined with other drugs. It is likely that venetoclax has a future in the treatment of patients with t(11;14) myeloma, and this will drive more molecular segmentation of the disease in the field, concludes Morgan.