Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee reps and the Oncology Center of Excellence director go behind the scenes to discuss FDA interactions with panelists, how opinions can change during a meeting, and why the voting question is important.

Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee was swayed by views of its disease area experts in favorably reporting out Geron’s imetelstat for myelodysplastic syndromes and supplemental applications for the CAR-T products Carvykti and Abecma in earlier lines of multiple myeloma.

Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee also favors earlier use of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Abecma in multiple myeloma, although some members raise concerns about lack of plateau in progression-free survival benefit and equivocable overall survival data.

‘We’re coming back,’ Oncology Center of Excellence Director Richard Pazdur says. Office of New Drugs Director Peter Stein says transition from virtual to in person will be gradual because FDA is trying to be sensitive to adcomm members' need to schedule travel and demands on their time.