NICE has issued Final Draft Guidance recommending daratumumab plus bortezomib, lenalidomide and dexamethasone for previously untreated multiple myeloma in adults suitable for an autologous stem cell transplant.

Johnson & Johnson said the decision means eligible patients in England and Wales will soon be able to receive the quadruplet as first-line induction therapy before transplant, followed by consolidation and daratumumab plus lenalidomide maintenance.

The guidance is based on phase 3 PERSEUS data showing a 58% reduction in risk of disease progression or death for the daratumumab based regimen compared with standard VRd induction and consolidation followed by lenalidomide maintenance.

NICE also endorsed an MRD-guided approach, allowing daratumumab to be stopped after at least 24 months of maintenance if MRD remains negative for at least 12 months.

Scott Purdon, Head of Patient Advocacy at Myeloma UK, said: “This is fantastic news and shows that personalised treatment is absolutely the future of myeloma care.” He added: “D-VRd has been shown to deliver long and deep responses for myeloma.”

Dr Ceri Bygrave, Consultant Haematologist and UK Myeloma Society Advocacy Lead, said: “The substitution of lenalidomide for thalidomide will have benefit in terms of less frequent incidence of neurotoxicity and improved depth response.” He added: “Patients, carers and clinicians working in the field of myeloma have been anxiously awaiting this decision as we work towards our shared goal of finding a long-term cure for myeloma.”

Amanda Cunnington, UK Senior Director of Patient Access at Johnson & Johnson, said: “We are delighted that people with myeloma who are eligible for a stem cell transplant will now have access to daratumumab across the entire front-line treatment sequence – including maintenance, where lenalidomide monotherapy remains the current standard of care.”

She added: “It is essential that people with multiple myeloma have as many treatment options available to them as early as possible, when they

Johnson & Johnson has reported final overall survival results from the phase 3 PAPILLON study, showing its amivantamab-based regimen delivered the longest median overall survival yet recorded in patients with EGFR exon 20 insertion mutation-positive non small cell lung cancer.

The company said patients receiving RYBREVANT▼ (amivantamab) plus carboplatin-pemetrexed chemotherapy achieved a median overall survival of 34.3 months, compared with 27.9 months for chemotherapy alone.

The findings were presented at the IASLC 2026 World Conference on Lung Cancer. Johnson & Johnson noted that the numerical difference in median overall survival exceeded six months, despite 76% of eligible patients in the chemotherapy arm crossing over to second-line amivantamab after disease progression.

EGFR Ex20ins mutations account for around 12% of all EGFR mutations. These patients have historically faced poorer outcomes and limited targeted treatment options. Median overall survival has typically ranged from 16 to 24 months.

Dr Chul Kim, Director of Thoracic Oncology at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, said: “We’ve come a long way in treating EGFR exon 20 insertion-positive lung cancer, and these results demonstrate the lasting impact amivantamab plus
chemotherapy can have in helping patients live longer.”

He added: “Patients are continuing treatment years after they started, which speaks to the durability of this approach and its value as a first-line treatment for this disease.”