Linvoseltamab Demonstrates Improved Efficacy for Patients With TCE RRMM
Key Takeaways:
- Linvoseltamab is a new bispecific antibody approved to treat patients with triple-class exposed (TCE) relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). When compared with real world standard-of-care (RW SOC)—which allows access to newer, effective treatments—patients treated with linvoseltamab had improved outcomes.
- Patients treated with linvoseltamab had a higher overall response rate (ORR) and overall survival (OS). The ORR was 69.5% in the linvoseltamab cohort and 43.4% in the RW SOC cohort. The median OS was 27.8 months in the linvoseltamab cohort and 25.1 months in the RW SOC cohort.
- Patients treated with linvoseltamab had better pregression free survival (PFS), time to next treatment (TTNT), and duration of response (DOR). The linvoseltamab cohort did not reach a median PFS, TTNT, or DOR, while the RW SOC cohort had a median PFS of 6 months, a median TTNT of 12 months, and a median DOR of 12.7 months.
Linvoseltamab is a bispecific antibody that was approved in the US in July 2025 to treat TCE RRMM. The efficacy of this drug is currently being evaluated in a global LINKER-MM1 clinical trial, where it has been showing deep and durable responses.
This study compared the findings from the LINKER-MM1 phase 2 200mg cohort with real-world treatment. The study analyzed patient data from International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) and International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) sites, which made up the RW SOC cohort.
The linvoseltamab cohort included 105 patients from phase 2 of the LINKER-MM1 trial. The RW SOC cohort included 203 patients: 91 from the US, 87 from Europe, and 25 from Asia.
The RW SOC cohort used 66 unique treatment regimens across the 203 patients. Corticosteroids were the most commonly used class of drugs. The most common treatment regimens were chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T) and anti-B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) antibody–drug conjugates (ADC) therapies, reflecting the acceptance of newer, evolving treatments in the academic oncology landscape.
Study Findings
The ORR was higher for patients being treated with linvoseltamab: it was 69.5% in the linvoseltamab cohort and 43.4% in the RW SOC cohort.
PFS was more favorable in the linvoseltamab cohort; the linvoseltamab cohort did not reach a median PFS, while the RW SOC cohort had a PFS of 6 months.
TTNT was more favorable in the linvoseltamab cohort; the linvoseltamab cohort did not reach a median TTNT, while the RW SOC cohort had a TTNT of 12 months.
The linvoseltamab cohort had a higher median OS of 27.8 months compared to the 25.1 months in the RW SOC cohort.
The DOR was more favorable in the linvoseltamab cohort; the linvoseltamab cohort did not reach a median DOR, while the RW SOC cohort had a DOR of 12.7 months.
Clinical Implications
Linvoseltamab showed slight improvements in ORR, PFS, OS, and DOR, which could be attributed to the fact that only 29.9% of patients in the linvoseltamab cohort received subsequent treatment, with none receiving CAR T therapy. On the other hand, 42.9% of RW SOC patients received subsequent treatment, and 13.8% received CAR T therapy.
Nevertheless, the linvoseltamab cohort still showed better outcomes than the RW SOC cohort. The authors said, “[F]indings from this study demonstrated significantly improved efficacy of linvoseltamab compared with the RW SOC from IMWG sites with access to newer and effective therapies.” Overall, this study supports the LINKER-MM1 trial by demonstrating the efficacy of linvoseltamab as a promising treatment for patients with TCE RRMM.
Reference
Kumar S, Jagannath S, Weisel KC, et al. Linvoseltamab versus real-world international myeloma working group standard-of-care in triple-class exposed relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. Blood Cancer J. 2026;16(44). doi:10.1038/s41408-026-01466-2
