This was a Phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study evaluating the efficacy and safety of venetoclax plus bortezomib and dexamethasone in participants with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who are considered sensitive or naïve to proteasome inhibitors and received 1 to 3 prior lines of therapy for multiple myeloma.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Enrollment
291
Participants self-administered venetoclax tablets by mouth QD in combination with bortezomib. Venetoclax was to be given before other agents administered on the same day, if applicable. Each venetoclax dose was to be taken all at one time with approximately 240 mL of water within 30 minutes after completion of breakfast or the subject's first meal of the day. Tablets were to be swallowed whole and must not have been broken, chewed, or crushed. On days that pre-dose PK sampling was required, dosing occurred at the clinic to facilitate PK sampling.
Bortezomib (subcutaneous injection \[preferred\] or IV) was given following administration of venetoclax or placebo in Cycles 1 -8 on Days 1, 4, 8 and 11, and for Cycles 9 and beyond, on Days 1, 8, 15 and 22 and was to be administered per the prescribing information. The route of administration was to stay the same during the study.
Progression-free Survival (PFS)
PFS is defined as the number of days from the date the participant was randomized to the date of the first documented progressive disease (PD) as determined by an Independent Review Committee (IRC) or death due to any cause, whichever occurs first. PFS was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier methodology.
Time frame: Median duration of follow-up was 28.6 months for the venetoclax group and 28.6 months for the placebo group
Very Good Partial Response (VGPR) or Better Response Rate
The percentage of participants with documented best overall response of Very Good Partial Response (VGPR) or better (VGPR, Complete response \[CR\], or Stringent complete response \[sCR\]) per 2016 standard International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) criteria as determined by an Independent Review Committee (IRC) was computed.
Time frame: Response was assessed at Cycle 1, Day 1, and on Day 1 of every cycle thereafter; median time on follow-up was 28.6 months for the venetoclax group and 28.6 months for the placebo group
Progression-Free Survival (PFS) in Participants With High B-cell Lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) Expression
PFS is defined as the number of days from the date the participant was randomized to the date of the first documented progressive disease (PD) per investigator assessment or death due to any cause, whichever occurs first. PFS was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier methodology. BCL-2 expression was determined through central laboratory testing by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and based on a pre-specified scoring algorithm. High clinical score of 2+: ≥50% of tumor cells with moderate or higher cytoplasmic staining but \< 50% of tumor cells with strong staining intensity; high clinical score of 3+: ≥50% of tumor cells with strong cytoplasmic staining.
Time frame: Median duration of follow-up was 28.6 months for the venetoclax group and 28.6 months for the placebo group
Duration of Response (DOR)
DOR is defined as the number of days from the participant's date of first documented response (partial response \[PR\] or better) to the date of first documented progressive disease (PD) as determined by an Independent Review Committee (IRC) or death due to multiple myeloma, whichever occurs first. DOR was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier methodology.
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Dexamethasone was to be given orally, administered per the prescribing information, the day of bortezomib dosing and the following day, given the protocol-defined dosing window (bortezomib dosing window is ± 1 day) is maintained. If bortezomib was interrupted or a dose is skipped, dexamethasone was to be administered as scheduled per protocol (unless dexamethasone was interrupted due to toxicity).
Participants self-administered placebo tablets by mouth QD in combination with bortezomib. Placebo was to be given before other agents administered on the same day, if applicable. Each placebo dose was to be taken all at one time with approximately 240 mL of water within 30 minutes after completion of breakfast or the subject's first meal of the day. Tablets were to be swallowed whole and must not have been broken, chewed, or crushed. On days that pre-dose PK sampling was required, dosing occurred at the clinic to facilitate PK sampling.
Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center/Eastern Colorado Health Care System /ID# 156524
Aurora, Colorado, United States
Univ of Colorado Cancer Center /ID# 149130
Aurora, Colorado, United States
Duke Cancer Center /ID# 149099
Durham, North Carolina, United States
Gabrail Cancer Center Research /ID# 149098
Canton, Ohio, United States
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital /ID# 149108
Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
Concord Repatriation General Hospital /ID# 149106
Concord, New South Wales, Australia
Liverpool Hospital /ID# 149110
Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia
Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital /ID# 149105
Herston, Queensland, Australia
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital /ID# 149104
Woodville South, South Australia, Australia
Royal Hobart Hospital /ID# 149111
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
...and 87 more locations
Time frame: Response was assessed at Cycle 1, Day 1, and on Day 1 of every cycle thereafter; median time on follow-up was 28.6 months for the venetoclax group and 28.6 months for the placebo group
Mean Change From Baseline in Brief Pain Inventory - Short Form (BPI-SF) Worst Pain
The BPI-SF is a pain-specific measure developed to assess patient-reported severity (or intensity) of pain (4 items) and the impact of pain on daily functioning (7 items) in patients with cancer pain. The four pain severity items assess pain at its "worst in last 24 hours," "least in last 24 hours," "average," and "now" (current pain). For these items, participants are asked to rate their pain on an 11-point numeric rating scale with anchors of 0 (no pain) and 10 (pain as bad as you can imagine). The Worst Pain scores range from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating severe pain. Negative changes from baseline indicate improvement.
Time frame: Baseline; Cycle 3 (Cycles 1 - 8 are 21 days, Cycles 9 and beyond are 35 days) through Cycle 47, collected on Day 1 of every other cycle and at the Treatment Completion Visit (TCV) while participant is on treatment
Mean Change From Baseline in Physical Functioning Scale of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30)
The QLQ-C30 is a 30-item subject self-report questionnaire composed of both multi-item and single scales, including five functional scales (physical, role, emotional, social, and cognitive), three symptom scales (fatigue, nausea and vomiting, and pain), a global health status/quality of life scale, and six single items (dyspnea, insomnia, appetite loss, constipation, diarrhea, and financial difficulties). For the Physical Functioning scale, participants rate five items on a four-point scale, with 1 as "not at all" and 4 as "very much." The Physical Functioning Scale scores range from 0 to 100 and were calculated per the EORTC QLQ-C30 Scoring Manual (3rd edition), version 3.0. A high scale score represents high/healthy level of functioning. Positive changes from baseline indicate improvement.
Time frame: Baseline; Cycle 3 (Cycles 1 - 8 are 21 days, Cycles 9 and beyond are 35 days) through Cycle 47, collected on Day 1 of every other cycle and at the Treatment Completion Visit (TCV) while participant is on treatment
Mean Change From Baseline in Global Health Status/Quality of Life Scale of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30)
The QLQ-C30 is a 30-item subject self-report questionnaire composed of both multi-item and single scales, including five functional scales (physical, role, emotional, social, and cognitive), three symptom scales (fatigue, nausea and vomiting, and pain), a global health status/quality of life scale, and six single items (dyspnea, insomnia, appetite loss, constipation, diarrhea, and financial difficulties). For the Global Health Status/Quality of Life scale, participants rate two items on a seven point scale, with 1 as "very poor" and 7 as "excellent." The Global Health Status/Quality of Life scale ranges from 0 to 100 and was calculated per the EORTC QLQ-C30 Scoring Manual (3rd edition), version 3.0. A high score for the global health status/QoL represents a high QoL. Positive changes from baseline indicate improvement.
Time frame: Baseline; Cycle 3 (Cycles 1 - 8 are 21 days, Cycles 9 and beyond are 35 days) through Cycle 47, collected on Day 1 of every other cycle and at the Treatment Completion Visit (TCV) while participant is on treatment
Mean Change From Baseline in Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System [PROMIS] Cancer Fatigue Short Form [SF] Score
PROMIS Cancer Fatigue SF is a seven item questionnaire that assesses the impact and experience of fatigue over the past 7 days. All questions employ the following five response options: 1 = Not at all, 2 = A little bit, 3 = Somewhat, 4 = Quite a bit, and 5 = Very much. The total raw score is the sum of the responses to each question and is converted to a T-score. The T-score re-scales the total raw score to a standardized score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10. The \[PROMIS\] Cancer Fatigue Short Form \[SF\] 7a T-Scores range from 29.4 to 83.2, with higher scores indicating more fatigue. Negative changes from baseline indicate improvement.
Time frame: Baseline; Cycle 3 (Cycles 1 - 8 are 21 days, Cycles 9 and beyond are 35 days) through Cycle 47, collected on Day 1 of every other cycle and at the Treatment Completion Visit (TCV) while participant is on treatment
Overall Survival (OS).
OS is defined as the number of days from the date of randomization to the date of death due to any cause. All events of death were to be included, regardless of whether the event occurred while the participant was still taking study drug or after the participant discontinued study drug. If a participant is not known to have died, OS was censored at the date of last contact. The distribution of OS was estimated using Kaplan-Meier methodology.
Time frame: Median duration of follow-up was 45.6 months for the venetoclax group and 45.6 months for the placebo group
Time to Progression (TTP)
TTP is defined as the number of days from the date of randomization to the date of first documented progressive disease (PD) as determined by an Independent Review Committee (IRC) or death due to multiple myeloma, whichever occurs first. TTP was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier methodology.
Time frame: Median time on follow-up up was 28.6 months for the venetoclax group and 28.6 months for the placebo group
Overall Response Rate (ORR)
Overall response rate is defined as the percentage of participants with documented best overall response of Partial Response (PR) or better (PR, Very good partial response \[VGPR\], Complete response \[CR\], or Stringent complete response \[sCR\]) per International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) criteria as determined by an Independent Review Committee (IRC).
Time frame: Response was assessed at Cycle 1, Day 1, and on Day 1 of every cycle thereafter; median time on follow-up was 28.6 months for the venetoclax group and 28.6 months for the placebo group
Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) Negativity Rate
MRD negativity rate is defined as the percentage of participants who have negative MRD by bone marrow aspirate at any time point after randomization and before progression or starting subsequent therapy. MRD negativity was defined at 10\^-5 threshold (less than one residual myeloma cell per 10\^5 total nucleated cells) as measured by centralized testing of bone marrow aspirate by Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). MRD positive participants include those of which all tested samples were found to be MRD positive or indeterminate. Participants with missing or unevaluable MRD status were considered as MRD positive.
Time frame: Assessed at Screening; to confirm a stringent Complete Response (sCR) or Complete Response (CR); at 6 months and 12 months post-confirmed CR/sCR