Revlimid (Celgene) prolongs disease control for Multiple Myeloma patients

Multiple myeloma patients are better equipped to halt progression of this blood cancer if treated with Revlimid (lenalidomide), from Celgene, following a stem cell transplant. A Phase III study, co-authored by Richard Maziarz, M.D., of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, found a 63 percent reduction in the risk of progressive myeloma or death for the stem cell transplant patients that were treated with lenalidomide maintenance therapy. It was conducted at 47 medical centers and involved 568 patients and the data were supported by similar Phase III studies reported from France and Italy reported in the same issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. See: "Lenalidomide after Stem-Cell Transplantation for Multiple Myeloma." Philip L. McCarthy et al. N Engl J Med 2012; 366:1770-1781May 10, 2012