Daratumumab with lenalidomide as maintenance after transplant in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma: the AURIGA study

Author(s): Ashraf Badros, MD1; Laahn Foster, MD2; Larry D. Anderson, Jr, MD3; Chakra P. Chaulagain, MD4; Erin Pettijohn, MD5; Andrew J. Cowan, MD6; Caitlin Costello, MD7; Sarah Larson, MD8; Douglas W. Sborov, MD9; Kenneth H. Shain, MD10; Rebecca Silbermann, MD11; Nina Shah, MD12; Alfred Chung, MD12; Maria Krevvata, MD13; Huiling Pei, MD14; Sharmila Patel, MD15; Vipin Khare, MD15; Annelore Cortoos, MD15; Robin Carson, MD13; Thomas S. Lin, MD15; Peter Voorhees, MD16
Source: Blood (2025) 145 (3): 300–310.

Dr. Anjan Patel's Thoughts

Direct comparison of Dara+len vs. len maintenance for those with +MMR after Auto-HSCT. MRD-neg conversion rates were higher in the combo arm. This is likely going to continue gaining traction in this group of patients.

ABSTRACT

No randomized trial has directly compared daratumumab and lenalidomide (D-R) maintenance with standard-of-care lenalidomide (R) alone after transplant. Herein, we report the primary results of the phase 3 AURIGA study evaluating D-R vs R maintenance in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) who had very good or better partial response, were minimal residual disease (MRD)-positive (10–5) and anti-CD38–naïve after transplant. Two hundred patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to D-R (n = 99) or R (n = 101) maintenance for up to 36 cycles. The MRD-negative (10–5) conversion rate by 12 months from start of maintenance (primary end point) was significantly higher for D-R than R (50.5% vs 18.8%; odds ratio [OR], 4.51; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.37-8.57; P < .0001). MRD-negative (10–6) conversion rate was similarly higher with D-R (23.2% vs 5.0%; OR, 5.97; 95% CI, 2.15-16.58; P = .0002). At median follow-up (32.3 months), D-R achieved a higher overall MRD-negative (10–5) conversion rate (D-R, 60.6% vs R, 27.7%; OR, 4.12; 95% CI, 2.26-7.52; P < .0001) and complete response rate or better (75.8% vs 61.4%; OR, 2.00; 95% CI, 1.08-3.69; P = .0255) vs R. Progression-free survival (PFS) favored D-R vs R (hazard ratio, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.29-0.97); estimated 30-month PFS rates were 82.7% for D-R and 66.4% for R. Incidences of grade 3/4 cytopenias (54.2% vs 46.9%) and infections (18.8% vs 13.3%) were slightly higher with D-R than R. In conclusion, D-R maintenance achieved a higher MRD-negative conversion rate and improved PFS after transplant vs R, with no new safety concerns. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT03901963.

Author Affiliations

1Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 2Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 3Division of Hematology and Oncology, Myeloma, Waldenstrom’s and Amyloidosis Program, Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 4Myeloma and Amyloidosis Program, Department of Hematology and Oncology, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Weston, FL 5The Cancer and Hematology Centers of Western Michigan, Grand Rapids, MI 6Division of Medical Oncology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 7Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 8Division of Hematology and Oncology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 9Department of Internal Medicine-Division of Hematology and Hematologic Malignancies, Huntsman Cancer Institute, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 10Department of Malignant Hematology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL 11Division of Hematology/Medical Oncology, Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 12Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 13Janssen Research and Development, LLC, Spring House, PA 14Janssen Research and Development, LLC, Titusville, NJ 15Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC, a Johnson & Johnson company, Horsham, PA 16Department of Hematologic Oncology and Blood Disorders, Levine Cancer Institute, Atrium Health Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Charlotte, NC

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