Reference: January 2026 | Issue 1 | Vol 12 | Page 34
Combining the bispecific monoclonal antibody teclistamab with the CD38 monoclonal antibody, daratumumab, may increase three-year progression-free survival (PFS) by 83 per cent in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM), according to new data published at the 67th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition.
The trial is the first to test a bispecific monoclonal antibody as early as the first relapse after initial treatment for MM. Based on the findings, the authors suggest the combination of teclistamab and daratumumab (Tec-Dara) could represent a new standard of care for RRMM.
Presenting the findings, lead study author María-Victoria Mateos, Haematologist and Professor of Medicine, University of Salamanca, Spain, said: “We were surprised by the efficacy data because we didn’t expect such a magnitude of benefit.”
“These are the best data we’ve seen in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma after one line of therapy. Patients will live longer overall and with no worsening of quality of life,” Prof Mateos said.
Teclistamab is approved in the US for the treatment of RRMM after at least four prior lines of therapy. Daratumumab has been approved for use in combination with other therapies for newly diagnosed and RRMM.
Laboratory studies have suggested that teclistamab and daratumumab may work synergistically to eradicate cancer to a greater extent than either agent individually.
Prof Mateos and colleagues randomised 587 patients with RRMM to receive either Tec-Dara or standard second-line therapies. For patients in the control arm, treating physicians chose between two standard three-agent combination therapies, which included daratumumab with dexamethasone plus either pomalidomide or bortezomib (DPd or DVd, respectively).
Study participants had a median age of 64, ranging from 25 to 88, and all patients were R/R after one to three prior lines of therapy. Participants remained on their assigned treatment regimen unless they experienced intolerable adverse events.
The 36-month PFS was 83.4 per cent for participants who received Tec-Dara and 29.7 per cent for those receiving DPd/DVd. This benefit was consistent across subgroups of patients analysed by age, prior treatment, tumour genetics, and other factors.
