What the trial was testing
The APOLLO enrolled 304 patients with multiple myeloma. The study was sponsored by Stichting European Myeloma Network and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was a large trial designed to confirm whether the treatment works well enough for wider use. Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
12.4 vs. 6.9 months without disease progression on the daratumumab triplet.
The Lancet Oncology · 2021 · NCT03180736
These findings — that progression-free survival on daratumumab + pom/dex vs. pom/dex alone — were published in the The Lancet Oncology and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 304 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with multiple myeloma, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
Daratumumab (Darzalex) plus pomalidomide and dexamethasone is FDA-approved and available now for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. The subcutaneous form (Darzalex Faspro) is faster to give than IV. Ask your hematologist whether this triplet fits your treatment history.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open multiple myeloma trials
Elranatamab in R/R Multiple Myeloma
This research is being done to see if the study drug, elranatamab, reduces the risk of disease progression (worsening disease) after idecabtagene vicleucel in relapsed refractory multiple myeloma.
DVRd in the Treatment of Patients With Newly Diagnosed Double-hit Multiple Myeloma
Evaluate the efficacy of DVRd in patients with newly diagnosed double-hit multiple myeloma (MM) and the feasibility of minimal residual disease (MRD) guided maintenance therapy