What the trial was testing
The AQUILA enrolled 390 patients with multiple myeloma. The study was sponsored by Janssen Research & Development, LLC 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
Treatment cut the risk of progression to active blood cancer or death by 51%.
The New England journal of medicine · 2025 · NCT03301220
These findings — that of progressing to active blood cancer or death with early treatment vs. monitoring — were published in the The New England journal of medicine and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 390 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
If you have high-risk smoldering myeloma, this study shows that early treatment may keep you healthier longer instead of waiting for the cancer to become active. This injection is FDA-approved for active multiple myeloma and is being studied for earlier stages. Talk to your doctor about whether early treatment makes sense for your situation.
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
A Phase I, Open-label, Multicenter Study to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, Cellular Kinetics, Immunogenicity, Pharmacodynamics, and Preliminary Efficacy of AZD0120 in Participants With Multiple Myeloma (DURGA-2)
This is an interventional, modular, open-label, multicenter study to primarily evaluate the safety and tolerability of AZD0120 in adult participants with multiple myeloma (MM).
Institut Paoli Calmettes Multiple Myeloma Database
Database of Institut Paoli-Calmettes patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma