J&J's Darzalex Could Gain Another Breakthrough Tag with New Study Data

The good news continues rolling in for Johnson & Johnson.

New study results indicate the drug Darzalex could be a valid treatment regimen for multiple myeloma patients at all stages of the diseases, reported FiercePharma.

Investigators running this trial compared the Darzalex combination therapy against Celgene’s Revlimid and dexamethasone in a trial with 569 patients.

Results showed the Darzalex cocktail was the superior alternative for treatment leading to complete response rate of 43.1 percent in patients participating in this trial. By contrast, volunteers taking Revlimid and dexamethasone experience a 19.2 percent response rate.

Furthermore, Darzalex, “also cut the risk of disease progression an impressive 63 percent compared with the two-drug approach,” according to FiercePharma.

J&J gained a breakthrough designation for the Darzalex combinations in July 2016 for patients who have received at least one prior therapy. Positive data like this could support the company’s case for another label expanding the patient pool for people who tend to stay on these therapies for longer periods of time.

Both authors of this study, Dr. S. Vincent Rajkumar and Dr. Robert A. Kyle, wrote a commentary in the New England Journal of Medicine saying that this drug was a “landmark advance” and could become the new standard treatment of care for multiple myeloma within the next few years.

This announcement comes on the heels of J&J’s next-gen psoriasis drug beating out Humira in a late-stage study setting the stage for a competition against AbbVie’s prized product.