In a late-stage trial, GSK’s blood cancer medication achieves its main objective

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has achieved a significant breakthrough in its efforts to enhance its oncology business with the blood cancer drug, Blenrep, reaching a crucial milestone in a late-stage trial. 

The strategic focus on strengthening its oncology portfolio follows a series of setbacks for GSK. In the trial, Blenrep, when combined with bortezomib and dexamethasone, exhibited a noteworthy extension in the time before disease progression or death in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, the third most common form of blood cancer known for its treatment challenges.

Blenrep had encountered difficulties in the past, leading to its withdrawal from the U.S. markets last year after failing a separate late-stage study aimed at establishing its superiority over an existing treatment. In September, the European Union’s drug regulator was against the renewal of conditional marketing authorization for Blenrep, leading to a setback to GSK’s pivotal oncology unit.

Despite initially modest expectations for Blenrep in the remaining multiple myeloma trials, the results from the “DREAMM-7” study were cautiously welcomed by Barclays analysts. They advised that investors might await additional data before reintegrating sales figures into their models.

Blenrep is a member of the class of antibody-drug conjugates, a potential type of therapeutics in which chemicals that kill cells are released when tailored antibodies bind to tumor cells. GSK highlighted the trial’s robust and clinically significant overall survival trend. One important measure is overall survival, which shows what percentage of trial participants taking the medication still lived when compared to those receiving a placebo. Progression-free survival, the study’s main objective, quantifies the amount of time a patient can live with their illness without it getting worse after treatment.

Significantly, In 2022, Blenrep was the second-biggest contributor to GSK’s oncology business, with sales of about £30 million ($37.38 million) so far this year. These results represent a positive turn for GSK’s oncology ambitions and may prompt a reevaluation of Blenrep’s market presence, although a cautious approach is advisable pending further data.

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