Bristol's cancer drug meets main goal in late-stage trial (updated)

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co

09/03/2026 11:14

Adds details throughout

By Sneha  S K

March 9 (Reuters) - Bristol Myers Squibb BMY.N on Monday said its experimental drug for a rare form of blood cancer improved survival in a late‑stage trial, meeting the study's main goal.

The oral drug mezigdomide, when used in combination with carfilzomib and dexamethasone, showed a significant improvement in patients with relapsed multiple myeloma without the disease worsening, compared to carfilzomib and dexamethasone alone.

Mezigdomide belongs to a new class of drugs called CELMoD that targets the cereblon protein, helping the body clear out myeloma more quickly and effectively than older treatments.

Bristol said the safety findings were consistent with the known profile of mezigdomide and the combination regimen, and patients will continue to be monitored for survival and safety.

"CELMoDs aren't one of the programs of focus for Bristol, though we would argue it's modestly overlooked," said RBC Capital Markets analyst Trung Huynh, noting that the mezigdomide trial data is an incremental positive ahead of a full data presentation at a later date.

The American Cancer Society estimates that about 36,000 new multiple myeloma cases will be diagnosed in the United States this year.

"These findings...strengthen our confidence in bringing forward effective, accessible oral treatment options for patients with difficult-to-treat blood cancers and potentially beyond," said Cristian Massacesi, chief medical officer and head of development at Bristol, in a statement.

 (Reporting by Sneha S K in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore)

 ((Sneha.SK@thomsonreuters.com;))