Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies developed novel talquetamab for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.
Talquetamab is a potential first-in-class, off-the-shelf, T-cell redirecting bispecific antibody targeting both GPRC5D, a novel drug target, on multiple myeloma cells and CD3 on T-cells.
The talquetamab is applicable for patients who underwent at least 4 prior lines of therapy including a proteasome inhibitor, an immunomodulatory agent, and an anti-CD38 antibody.
Though there are therapies currently available for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, there is a need for new targets and treatments due to the heterogeneity of the disease.
In Phase 1/2 clinical study, Talquetamab is being evaluated for the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (NCT03399799) and is also being explored in combination studies.
Multiple myeloma is an incurable blood cancer affecting white blood cells called plasma cells, commonly found in the bone marrow. In the year 2020, approximately 176,000 people were diagnosed with multiple myeloma globally and in 2022 it is expected over 34,000 people will be diagnosed with multiple myeloma and around 12,000 people will die due to this disease in U.S. Some of the common symptoms of multiple myeloma include bone fracture or pain, low red blood cell counts, tiredness, high calcium levels, kidney problems or infections while few people diagnosed with multiple myeloma initially have no symptoms.
