Advancing myeloma care: Taking action for the community

March marks Myeloma ACTION Month (MAM), providing us a moment to reflect and come together to support the myeloma community and raise awareness of this disease, advancements in myeloma research and the need for novel therapeutics for patients.

This #MyelomaACTIONMonth we are inspired by the word “action” – for patients, their families and the entire myeloma community, and our promise is bold - to transform the multiple myeloma treatment paradigm by improving outcomes for patients. For nearly two decades we have been able to turn our promise into action, but our mission is far from complete. At the center of our commitment to the multiple myeloma community: our work with healthcare professionals, scientists, academia, patients and their advocates provides invaluable insights into individual patient needs.

From a research and innovation perspective, our trailblazing work with classic immunomodulatory agents helped establish options in the current standard of care in myeloma, which has dramatically improved outcomes in most patients. And we remain steadfast in our commitment to continued innovation across targets, molecular approaches and combinations to advance patient outcomes. Our distinct CELMoD agents^TM development program builds on our decades of experience in the field of protein degradation and includes investigational assets that are aiming to meet needs of patients and have the potential to provide new treatment options to relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma patients. Cell therapy has also been a key area of focus: our first-in-class BCMA-directed CAR T cell therapy broke new ground as a one-time infusion option for patients with relapsed/refractory disease following the most common classes of anti-myeloma therapies. And now, we have taken translational learnings from our multiple myeloma programs to continue to change the treatment landscape as we explore another validated target for cell therapy: GPRC5D, which was chosen for its high expression on multiple myeloma cells, independent from BCMA and promising early signals.

We also foster ongoing dialogue and collaboration across the myeloma community, prioritizing a patient-centric approach throughout our research and development process. Patient perspectives are critical to our understanding of unmet needs, which is why our close and longstanding partnerships with patients and their advocacy groups like the International Myeloma Foundation, Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, HealthTree Foundation, International Myeloma Society and Myeloma Patients Europe are essential in enabling dialogue, assisting in furthering critical research, and providing critical resources to patients. These groups also help us keep an important fact at the center of our work: despite recent advances, multiple myeloma remains a relentless, incurable disease marked by relapses, a heavy treatment burden, poor quality of life and reduced life expectancy. Over the years, we have demonstrated our unwavering commitment to expanding access to myeloma treatments globally. Through our partnerships with global advocacy groups, our efforts are aimed at ensuring that all myeloma patients, regardless of location, receive the best possible care. Further, our signature U.S. program, Standing in the Gaap, works to close the gaps in diagnosis, care and survival for African American patients with myeloma, a patient population particularly affected by the disease.

Our integrated, cross-functional approach to multiple myeloma research and development demonstrates how openness and commitment to working together fuels exceptional progress in the fight against this disease.

This Myeloma Action Month, and all year round, we recognize the strength of our community in taking action to advance scientific progress. From the promise of our pipeline to improvements in patient care to enhanced treatment knowledge—we know it would not be possible without collaboration of all kinds.