The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved ixazomib for the treatment of multiple myel

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ixazomib today for use in combination with two other therapies to treat patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior treatment regimen.

Multiple myeloma is a type of blood cancer that originates in the plasma cells — a type of white blood cell responsible for fighting infections — within the bone marrow. These cancerous cells multiply uncontrollably, produce abnormal proteins, and crowd out other healthy blood cells in the bone marrow. The disease may impair the patient’s immune function and lead to other bone or kidney-related complications. The U.S. National Cancer Institute estimates that 26,850 new cases of multiple myeloma will be diagnosed in the United States this year, with 11,240 associated deaths.

Dr. Richard Pazdur, Director of the Office of Hematology and Oncology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, stated: “We are encouraged as our growing understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms of multiple myeloma continues to drive the development of new therapies for this disease. The approval of this drug marks the third new treatment for multiple myeloma this year, offering a novel oral option that can delay disease progression for patients who have failed other therapies.” Earlier this year, the FDA approved panobinostat in February and daratumumab earlier this month.

Ixazomib belongs to a class of anticancer drugs known as proteasome inhibitors. Its mechanism of action involves blocking the activity of relevant enzymes in multiple myeloma cells, thereby inhibiting the growth and survival of cancer cells. As the first approved oral proteasome inhibitor, ixazomib was authorized for use in combination with two other FDA-approved medications: lenalidomide, a drug used to treat multiple myeloma, and dexamethasone, a type of glucocorticoid.