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Arcellx: The Company Making Exciting Progress for Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma
16 Jun, 20255 MinutesMultiple myeloma is an incurable type of blood cancer affecting plasma cells in the bon...
Multiple myeloma is an incurable type of blood cancer affecting plasma cells in the bone marrow. Although some patients can treat and live with it for years, when the condition relapses or becomes refractory (no longer responding to current treatments), life expectancy can become considerably shorter.
One company that is making huge progress for patients with refractory/relapsed multiple myeloma (RRMM) is Arcellx, a biotech company with a focus on cell therapies. They are in the process of developing a novel MMRR immunotherapy that patients can turn to when all other options have become obsolete.
In May of this year, they announced some promising news following a phase 2 trial involving 117 patients with the condition. And with a phase 3 trial already underway, it may not be long before their CAR-T cell therapy (that’s to be manufactured in collaboration with Kite Pharma) becomes available globally to provide myeloma patients with better odds and an improved quality of life.
The difficulties in treating Multiple Myeloma
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society defines myeloma as “a cancer of plasma cells that develop from B lymphocytes, which are found in the blood, lymph nodes and bone marrow”.
Multiple myeloma is an extremely complex condition that can differ drastically between individuals. It is considered an evolving disease which, over a long period of time, can result in the existence of multiple mutations and subclones – each of which will often respond differently to available therapies.
Myeloma cells are renowned for finding new ways to survive and rapidly multiply. According to the Health Tree Foundation, “they can interact with surrounding cells in and around the bone marrow and trick the microenvironment to promote tumor growth and protect them against treatment”.
This is often seen in relapsed multiple myeloma cases, where treatment options that initially worked begin to fail due to the MM cells’ ongoing evolution. Unfortunately, they are relatively quick to become resistant.
That’s why it’s so important that there are more RRMM therapies in the pipeline. For patients battling with this condition, more options are desperately needed.
Arcellx’s Recent Positive Data Announcement
Arcellx are a biotechnology company with a mission of advancing humanity with safer, more effective, and more broadly accessible cell therapies. Much of their work revolves around the development of revolutionary immunotherapies for patients with cancer and other incurable conditions.
In May 2025, Arcellx (who have been working in collaboration with Kite Pharma) announced some new positive data from a phase 2 trial concerning its leading CAR-T cell therapy anito-cel (antiocabtagene autoleucel).
Just like other CAR-T cell therapies, anito-cel involves extracting a patient’s own T-cells and modifying them to recognize and attack myeloma cells. It’s an incredible feat of engineering that’s becoming more and more accessible to patients worldwide.
The pivotal study involved 117 patients with RRMM, all of whom had had a median of three prior lines of therapy. Out of these people, 101 were triple refractory and 48 were penta-refractory. All were given a single infusion of anito-cel before receiving a follow-up to record their responses.
The results were majorly positive:
At the six-month mark, progression-free survival (PFS) was 92% and overall survival (OS) rate was 96.6%
At the twelve-month mark, PFS and OS rates were 79% and 95%
Overall response rate to the therapy was 97%
For myeloma patients, this is exceptional news. Especially as, according to a press release from Gilead, anito-cel is also "the first BCMA CAR T to be investigated in multiple myeloma that utilizes Arcellx’s novel and compact D-Domain binder".
What This Means for Myeloma Patients
As put by Arcellx’s Chairman and CEO, Rami Elghandour, this positive data continues to support their belief that “anito-cel has the potential to address the needs of myeloma patients and the physicians who serve them”.
For the myeloma community, this therapy may soon serve those who have exhausted all other options. In fact, Arcellx and Kite have already begun their global phase 3 trial of anito-cel, which will determine the safety and efficacy of the treatment before it’s (hopefully) rolled out to patients.
This positive news acts as a reminder of the passionate and hard-working teams who go above and beyond to help bring these state-of-the-art treatments to market. It is thanks to them that people living with the reality of multiple myeloma can feel hopeful about the future.
While cure is not yet a reality for all, there are incredible, driven organizations (like Arcellx) doing their utmost to bring us closer to one.
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