Bristol Myers flunks frontline multiple myeloma trial, turning attention to cell therapy

Celgene and Bristol Myers Squibb may have combined forces, but their latest mix of multiple myeloma treatments don’t appear to be a good match.

Bristol Myers announced that its Phase III trial combining the BMS drug Empliciti — co-developed with AbbVie — with Celgene’s long-running blockbuster Revlimid had failed. The cocktail did not help first-line patients hold off cancer progression for longer than just Revlimid alone. (Both treatment arms were also given the steroid dexamethasone.)