iMMagine-1: Anito-Cel Shows Efficacy in R/R Multiple Myeloma

This interview explores updated efficacy and safety findings from the phase 2 iMMagine-1 trial evaluating anito-cel, a CAR T-cell therapy, in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, as presented at ASH 2025. Krina Patel, MD, MSc, associate professor in the Department of Lymphoma/Myeloma in the Division of Cancer Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, highlights how longer follow-up continues to reinforce the depth and durability of responses seen with this therapy in a heavily pretreated population.

The updated data demonstrate that responses to anito-cel not only remain robust over time but also continue to deepen with longer follow-up. The overall response rate reached 96% across treated patients, with a notably high stringent complete response rate of 74%. These results underscore the ability of CAR T-cell therapy to achieve profound disease control, even in patients who have exhausted multiple prior lines of therapy.

Minimal residual disease (MRD) outcomes further emphasize the quality of these responses. More than 95% of evaluable patients achieved MRD negativity at the 10⁻⁵ threshold, reflecting very deep remissions. Importantly, durability of response was also highlighted, with approximately 83% of patients maintaining sustained MRD negativity at 6 months or longer. While median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival have not yet been reached, the estimated 24-month PFS rate of 61.7% points to meaningful long-term benefit.

In contextualizing these findings, the interview notes that CAR T-cell therapies, including anito-cel, have reshaped expectations for treatment outcomes in multiple myeloma. Compared with conventional therapies and many combination regimens, CAR T-cell approaches are more likely to induce deep, MRD-negative responses, often after a single administration. These results from iMMagine-1 add to the growing body of evidence supporting CAR T-cell therapy as a transformative option for patients with advanced multiple myeloma.