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AbbVie said on Thursday its therapy for a type of blood cancer has improved patients\u2019 response \u200brate to treatment and reduced the risk of disease progression or \u200cdeath, meeting the main goals of a late-stage trial.<\/strong><\/p>\n As biosimilars chip away at sales of its arthritis treatment Humira, once its top-selling drug, the company is turning to acquisitions \u200band other disease areas such as neuroscience and oncology to drive \u200bgrowth.<\/p>\n The therapy, etentamig, showed an objective response rate of 74% in \u2060patients with refractory multiple myeloma, higher than the 45.7% recorded by standard \u200btreatments chosen by the trial investigator. ORR is the percentage of patients in \u200ba clinical trial whose cancer shrinks or disappears after treatment.<\/p>\n Etentamig also increased survival without progression of the disease, and reduced the risk of the cancer worsening or death by 60% \u200bcompared to other treatments in the 393-patient trial.<\/p>\n \u201cFor AbbVie, the data add \u200bcredibility to oncology but do not change the investment debate,\u201d said Citi analyst Geoffrey Meacham. \u200cCommercial \u2060execution for newer drugs Skyrizi and Rinvoq remains paramount, while investors are increasingly focused on \u201cwhether additional transactions can deepen AbbVie\u2019s 2030s growth profile.\u201d<\/p>\n The trial included patients who received a median of three prior lines of treatment with relapsed \u200bor refractory multiple myeloma, \u200ba form \u2060of blood cancer that has returned after a period of remission or has stopped responding to treatment.<\/p>\n After 12 months, 87.9% \u200bof patients receiving etentamig were still alive, compared to \u200b72% of \u2060patients receiving standard treatments.<\/p>\n Etentamig engages T-cells, which protect from infections and fight cancer, by targeting two proteins.<\/p>\n Meachem said etentamig looks most differentiated as an additional post-CAR-T cell \u2060therapy, \u200brather than a replacement for Johnson & Johnson\u2019s Carvykti \u200bor Gilead\u2019s anito-cel. \u201cCAR-T offers deep responses and a treatment holiday, while etentamig offers immediate availability, monthly administration \u200band broader treatment-center access.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n