Thierry Facon, MD

Thierry Facon, MD, of Lille University Hospital in France, told The ASCO Post that he believes elotuzumab (Empliciti) works better with an immunomodulatory drug than with bortezomib (Velcade), at least according to the results of these two studies. “I think what’s most impressive is the ELOQUENT-2 progression-free survival curve,” he said. “You see early separation and a benefit that is stable over time.”

On the other hand, good results were seen with both combinations, “and that’s a good signal,” he indicated. “It means elotuzumab can be combined with either an immunomodulatory drug or a proteasome inhibitor.” ■

Disclosure: Dr. Facon is a member of the Board of Directors or advisory committee and the speakers bureau for Celgene.