The European Commission has approved Bristol-Myers Squibb’s and AbbVie’s Empliciti (elotuzumab), an immunostimulatory antibody, for the treatment of multiple myeloma as combination therapy with Revlimid (lenalidomide) and dexamethasone in patients who have received at least one prior therapy.

Bristol-Myers Squibb and AbbVie are co-developing Empliciti, with Bristol-Myers Squibb solely responsible for commercial activities.

Empliciti in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone is approved in the United States, and the safety and efficacy of Empliciti is being evaluated by other health authorities.

Empliciti specifically targets Signaling Lymphocyte Activation Molecule Family member 7 (SLAMF7), a cell-surface glycoprotein. SLAMF7 is expressed on myeloma cells independent of cytogenetic abnormalities. SLAMF7 also is expressed on natural killer cells, plasma cells and at lower levels on specific immune cell subsets of differentiated cells within the hematopoietic lineage. Empliciti has a dual mechanism-of-action. It directly activates the immune system through natural killer cells via the SLAMF7 pathway. Empliciti also targets SLAMF7 on myeloma cells, tagging these malignant cells for natural killer cell-mediated destruction via antibody-dependent cellular toxicity.

Source: Bristol-Myers Squibb