Thalomid Update

Thalidomide increases a patient's chance of achieving multiple myeloma remission when combined with standard drug therapy, according to research released at this week's meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The drug, known by the Celgene brand name Thalomid, also reduces the risk of recurrence when added to standard treatment, researchers reported.

"The results are better than anything published to date, and show that myeloma does not have to be a death sentence, said Dr. Bart Barlogie, director of the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy at the University of Arkansas and lead author of the study.

In a study of 668 patients with multiple myeloma treated with several rounds of chemotherapy and stem-cell transplantation, 62% of those receiving thalidomide achieved complete remission, compared with 43% of those whose treatments didn't include the drug.