Luciano Costa: The “BALI” Strategy for Preventing Infections in Multiple Myeloma Patients

Luciano Costa, Professor of Medicine at UAB Medicine, shared on X:

“Prevent infections with BCMA-directed bispecifics. Simple:
Think BALI

B – actrim M, W, F
A – cyclovir 4ever
L – evofloxacin on month 1
I – VIg moonthly from C2D1.”

Title: Prospective Assessment of a Simplified Infection Mitigation Strategy for Patients with Multiple Myeloma Receiving BCMA-Directed T-Cell Engagers.

Authors: Ildem Gedik Ozluk, Laura Joiner, Caitlin Hagedorn, Heidi A Worth, Gayathri Ravi, Susan Bal, Kelly Godby, Luciano J. Costa

Learn more.

Key Findings

• The overall incidence of severe infections over 12 months was 8.4%.
• Among patients who followed the complete BALI protocol, the rate was lower, at 4.6%.
• Approximately 90% of patients followed the full prevention protocol.
• Patients who did not adhere to the protocol had a significantly higher risk of severe infections.
• No severe cases of PJP or viral infections were reported.

Conclusion

• The findings suggest that a structured infection-prevention strategy can help reduce serious infections in patients receiving BCMA-directed therapies.
• The study highlights the importance of consistent infection prophylaxis throughout treatment. Although promising, the results come from a single-center observational study and require further validation.

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