EQS-News: Benzinga
/ Key word(s): Healthcare
By Meg Flippin, Benzinga DETROIT, MICHIGAN - March 27, 2026 (NEWMEDIAWIRE) - Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is one of the most difficult blood cancers to treat - especially for older patients or those with other health conditions who cannot tolerate intensive chemotherapy. For many of these patients, treatment options are limited and outcomes remain poor.  As a result, developing new therapies for AML that are tolerable, while improving the clinical benefit compared to current treatment regimens, offers the potential to redefine AML care and bring hope to patients around the world. Aptevo's Lead Product - Mipletamig Seeking to address this significant unmet medical need, Aptevo Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: APVO), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel immune-oncology therapeutics, is developing mipletamig, an investigational therapy designed to work in combination with standard-of-care treatment in newly diagnosed patients. New interim data from the company's ongoing RAINIER clinical trial demonstrated that mipletamig adds to standard of care patient results while adding limited toxicity to patients receiving the treatment, reports the company. Across evaluable frontline AML patients treated to date, Aptevo said the combination of mipletamig with venetoclax and azacitidine delivered an 86% clinical benefit rate, including a 79% remission rate. In AML, remission typically means leukemia cells have been reduced to very low levels in the bone marrow, either as a complete remission (CR) or complete remission with incomplete blood count recovery (CRi). Importantly, 55% of patients who achieved remission went even further - reaching MRD-negative status, meaning highly sensitive tests could not detect any remaining leukemia cells. Achieving MRD negativity is considered an important marker of deeper disease control and the potential for longer-lasting responses. Equally notable, in the purview of Aptevo, is the therapy's safety profile. No patients treated to date have experienced cytokine release syndrome (CRS) - a common and potentially serious immune reaction that can force patients to discontinue therapy. Avoiding CRS is especially important for drugs intended to be used in combination with other treatments, where safety and tolerability are key to keeping patients on therapy. Collectively, the company said the emerging data suggest mipletamig may have the potential to enhance the current frontline AML treatment approach, improving patient responses while maintaining the safety and tolerability needed, especially for older or medically unfit patients. "Our frontline data show that mipletamig has the potential to play a meaningful role in the future frontline AML treatment," said Marvin White, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aptevo Therapeutics. "Across patients treated to date, we are seeing strong remission outcomes together with the continued absence of cytokine release syndrome - an encouraging combination of efficacy and safety that is especially important for therapies intended to work in combination with existing frontline AML treatments." Stopping Cancer In Its Tracks Mipletamig is a bispecific antibody, or a molecule designed to serve two purposes at once. One side locks onto the leukemia cancer cells, specifically targeting a marker called CD123 that is commonly found on AML leukemia cells. The other side connects with T-cells, the immune system's natural cancer fighters. By bringing these two together, the therapy helps direct the immune system to attack and destroy leukemia cells. Aptevo says this targeted approach is designed to activate the immune response against AML while maintaining a safety profile that allows the drug to be combined with existing frontline treatments. The company's phase 1b dose optimization trial, RAINIER, is evaluating mipletamig in combination with venetoclax and azacitidine in patients newly diagnosed with AML who are older or unable to receive intensive chemotherapy. The study is being conducted in two stages, beginning with a phase 1b portion designed to determine the optimal dose, followed by a larger phase 2 study to further evaluate the therapy's effectiveness. AML affects roughly 22,000 people in the United States each year and remains one of the most aggressive adult leukemias. For many patients, especially those who cannot tolerate intensive treatment, therapeutic advances that improve outcomes without adding significant toxicity remain an important goal. With promising trial results and the potential for even more in subsequent studies, Aptevo has the opportunity to offer new hope to patients suffering from a hard-to-treat cancer. To learn more about Aptevo and mipletamig, click here. Featured image from Shutterstock. This content was originally published on Benzinga. Read further disclosures here. This post contains sponsored content. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice. View the original release on www.newmediawire.com News Source: Benzinga 27.03.2026 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group. |
| Language: | English |
| Company: | Benzinga |
| United States | |
| ISIN: | US03835L7029 |
| EQS News ID: | 2299590 |
| End of News | EQS News Service |
2299590 27.03.2026 CET/CEST
