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
Mezigdomide and Elranatamab for Relapsed and/or Refractory Multiple Myeloma
The goal of this clinical trial is to find out how well a combination of two medicines (mezigdomide and elranatamab) works in treating patients with refractory/relapsed multiple myeloma.
A Study to Assess A Change in Disease Activity and Adverse Events of Intravenous Etentamig and Daratumumab (Etentamig+D) Compared to Daratumumab, Lenalidomide, and Dexamethasone (DRd) in Adult Participants With Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma Not Eligible for Transplant
Multiple myeloma (MM) is a cancer of the blood's plasma cells. The cancer is typically found in the bones and bone marrow (the spongy tissue inside of the bones) and can cause bone pain, fractures, infections, weaker bones, and kidney failure. This is a study to determine the adverse events, change in disease activity, and pharmacokinetics of Etentamig in adult participants with MM. Etentamig is an investigational drug being developed for the treatment of MM. This study is broken into 2 phases; phase 2 with 3 study arms and phase 3 with 2 study arms. Participants in phase 2 will receive 1 of 3 doses of etentamig in combination with daratumumab. Participants in phase 3 will receive etentamig at RP3D in combination with daratumumab, or daratumumab, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (DRd). Around 660 adult participants with MM will be enrolled at approximately 155 sites worldwide Participants in phase 2 will receive 1 of 3 doses of etentamig as intravenous (IV) infusions, combination with subcutaneous (SC) injections of daratumumab. Participants in phase 3 will receive RP3D doses of etentamig as IV infusions, combination with SC injections of daratumumab, or SC injections of daratumumab, capsules of lenalidomide, and tablet/ IV injections of dexamethasone (DRd). The study duration is approximately 16 years. There may be higher treatment burden for participants in this trial compared to their standard of care. Participants will attend regular visits during the study at a hospital or clinic. The effect of the treatment will be checked by medical assessments, blood tests, checking for side effects and questionnaires.