Venetoclax for multiple myeloma – mechanism of action and next steps

Lawrence Boise, PhD, from the Winship Cancer Institute, Atlanta, GA, discusses the mechanism of action of venetoclax and next steps for the drug in multiple myeloma (MM). Venetoclax is an inhibitor of BCL-2 and has recently been approved for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). According to Prof Boise, only a small fraction of multiple myeloma patients appear to be sensitive to venetoclax and the next step is to find a marker that can identify those patients. Another area of research concerns drug combinations, i.e. finding drugs such as dexamethasone, that can be combined with venetoclax.
Recorded at the Myeloma 2016 meeting held in Boston, MA.