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Biotech / Medical : Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (MLNM) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Icebrg who wrote (2880)	7/5/2007 11:35:52 AM
From: tuck	Respond to of 3044

[Efficacy of single-agent bortezomib vs. single-agent thalidomide in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma: a systematic comparison] >>Eur J Haematol. 2007 Jun 28; [Epub ahead of print] Efficacy of single-agent bortezomib vs. single-agent thalidomide in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma: a systematic comparison. Prince HM, Adena M, Smith DK, Hertel J. Department of Haematology and Medical Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic., Australia. Objective: To conduct a systematic review of the efficacy of single-agent bortezomib vs. single-agent thalidomide in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple. Methods: Publications in English from 1966 to June 2005 (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane library), publication reference lists, Janssen-Cilag data-on-file and abstracts from recent multiple myeloma conferences were reviewed. Prospective studies containing at least a single arm of either treatment group with n>/=30 were included. Studies adding dexamethasone for non-responders were excluded. Statistical pooling was performed for response rate and overallsurvival. Results: One bortezomib study (n = 333, NEJM 2005, 352; 2487-98) and 15 thalidomide (n = 1007) studies met these criteria and were included. Patient baseline characteristics including age, gender, IgG : IgA, disease duration and beta-2 microglobulin were well matched except that 48% of bortezomib patients had received prior thalidomide. Response rate, defined as serum M-protein reduction >/=50%, was 53% for patients receiving bortezomib vs. 32% for thalidomide (P < 0.001, n = 10 studies). Response rate determined by European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) criteria was 41% for patients receiving bortezomib vs. 22% for thalidomide (P < 0.001, n = 4 studies). Conclusion: Bortezomib was associated with a significantly higher response rate and complete remission rate using both M-protein and EBMT criteria.<< There are some limitations to this study, as there are in most meta-analyses. And single agent thereapy is probably not the SOC in MM these days. And Revlimid is the real threat now. Though I don't know if, in England NICE has given Revlimid the thumbs up. Cheers, Tuck