Belantamab Mafodotin-blmf: A Novel Antibody-Drug Conjugate for Treatment of Patients With Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma
Emily Behren Ketchum, Andrea Clarke, Amber B. Clemmons
Abstract
Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematologic malignancy characterized by proliferation of plasma cells with or without production of monoclonal immunoglobulins. Management of patients with MM begins with induction therapy, typically a proteasome inhibitor (PI) with dexamethasone and an immunomodulator (IMID), followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in eligible patients. Although various treatments are available, MM is considered incurable, and patients with progression after multiple treatment lines, including CD38 monoclonal antibodies, have a median overall survival of 8.6 months. Belantamab mafodotin-blmf (Blenrep) is a first-in-class antibody-drug conjugate directed against B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) that obtained U.S. Food and Drug Administration accelerated approval in August 2020 for patients with multiply relapsed/refractory MM. This article provides information on the mechanism of action, efficacy, safety, monitoring, and current place in therapy for belantamab mafodotin-blmf.