Inclusion Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

1. Must understand and voluntarily sign an informed consent form

2. Age greater than or equal to 65 years at the time of signing the informed consent

3. Newly diagnosed with symptomatic multiple myeloma as defined by the 3 criteria below:

MM diagnostic criteria (all of next 3 required)

1. Monoclonal plasma cells in the bone marrow greater than or equal to 10% and/or
presence of a biopsy-proven plasmacytoma

2. Monoclonal protein present in the serum and/or urine

3. Myeloma-related organ dysfunction (at least one of the following) [C] Calcium
elevation in the blood (serum calcium >10.5mg/dl or upper limit of normal) [R] Renal
insufficiency (serum creatinine >2mg/dl) [A] Anemia (hemoglobin <10g/dl or 2g <
normal) [B] Lytic bone lesions or osteoporosis AND have measurable disease as defined
by the following; IgG multiple myeloma: Serum monoclonal paraprotein (M-protein)
level greater than or equal to 1.0 g/dL or urine M-protein level greater than or
equal to 200 mg/24 hours IgA multiple myeloma: Serum M-protein level greater than or
equal to 0.5 g/dL or urine M-protein level greater than or equal to 200 mg/24 hours
IgD multiple myeloma: Serum M-protein level greater than or equal to 0.05 g/dL or
urine M-protein level greater than or equal to 200 mg/24 hours Light chain multiple
myeloma: Serum M-protein level greater than or equal to 1.0 g/dL or urine M-protein
level greater than or equal to 200 mg/24 hours IgM multiple myeloma (IgM M-protein
plus lytic bone disease documented by skeletal survey plain films): Serum M-protein
level greater than or equal to 1.0g/dL or urine M-protein level greater than or equal
to 200mg/24hours

4. Karnofsky performance status greater than or equal to 60%.

5. Able to adhere to the study visit schedule and other protocol requirements.

6. Women of Childbearing potential (WCBP) must:

a. Have a negative medically supervised pregnancy test prior to the start of study
therapy. She must agree to ongoing pregnancy testing during the course of the study,
and after end of study therapy. This applies even if the subject practices and
continues sexual abstinence.

b Either commit to continued abstinence from heterosexual intercourse (which must be
reviewed on a monthly basis) or agree to use, and be able to comply with, effective
contraception without interruption, 28 days prior to starting study drug, during the
study therapy (including dose interruptions), and for 28 days after discontinuation
of study therapy.

7. Males Subjects must:

1. Agree to use a condom during sexual contact with a WCBP, even if they have had a
vasectomy, throughout study drug therapy, during any dose interruption and after
the cessation of study therapy.

2. Agree to not donate semen during study drug therapy and for a period after end
of study drug therapy.

8. All subjects must

1. Have an understanding that the study drug could have potential teratogenic risk.

2. Agree to abstain from donating blood while taking study drug therapy and
following discontinuation of study drug therapy.

3. Agree not to share study medication with another person.

4. All patients must be counseled about pregnancy precautions and risks of fetal
exposure.

Female Subjects:

Females of childbearing potential (FCBP) with regular cycles must agree to have pregnancy
tests weekly for the first 28 days of study participation and then every 28 days while on
study, at study discontinuation, and at day 28 following discontinuation from the study.
If menstrual cycles are irregular, the pregnancy testing must occur weekly for the first
28 days and then every 14 days while on study, at study discontinuation, and at days 14
and 28 following discontinuation from the study.

In addition to the required pregnancy testing, the Investigator must confirm with FCBP
that she is continuing to use two reliable methods of birth control at each visit.
Counseling about pregnancy precautions and the potential risks of fetal exposure must be
conducted at a minimum of every 28 days. During counseling, subjects must be reminded to
not share study drug and to not donate blood.

Pregnancy testing and counseling must be performed if a subject misses her period or if
her pregnancy test or her menstrual bleeding is abnormal. Study drug treatment must be
discontinued during this evaluation.

Females must agree to abstain from breastfeeding during study participation and for at
least 28 days after the discontinuation from the study.

Male Subjects:

Counseling about the requirement for latex condom use during sexual contact with females
of childbearing potential and the potential risks of fetal exposure must be conducted at a
minimum of every 28 days. During counseling, subjects must be reminded to not share study
drug and to not donate blood, sperm, or semen.

If pregnancy or a positive pregnancy test does occur in a study subject or the partner of
a study subject during study participation, study drug must be immediately discontinued.

Exclusion Criteria

1. Previous treatment with antimyeloma therapy (does not include radiotherapy,
bisphosphonates, or a single short course of steroid [i.e., less than or equal to the
equivalent of dexamethasone 40 mg/day for 4 days; such a short course of steroid
treatment must not have been given within 28 days [4 weeks] of randomization]).

2. Any serious medical condition, including the presence of laboratory abnormalities,
which places the subject at an unacceptable risk if he or she participates in this
study or confounds experimental the ability to interpret data from the study.

3. Pregnant or lactating females.

4. Radiotherapy within 14 days (2 weeks) of randomization.

5. Plasmapheresis within 28 days (4 weeks) of randomization.

6. Any of the following laboratory abnormalities:

Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) < 1,500 cells/mL (1.5*10^9/L) Platelet count <
75,000 cells/uL (75*10^9/L) for subjects in whom < 50% of bone marrow nucleated
cells are plasma cells; but platelet count <30,000/uL for subjects in whom >= 50% of
bone marrow nucleated cells are plasma cells Haemoglobin < 8.0 g/dL (80 g/L) Serum
creatinine > 2.5 mg/dL (221 µmol/L) Serum aspartate aminotransferase (SGOT/AST) or
alanine aminotransferase (SGPT/ALT) > 3.0 times upper limit of normal (ULN)

7. Prior history of malignancies, other than multiple myeloma, unless the subject has
been free of the disease for greater than or equal to 3 years.

Exceptions include the following:

Basal cell carcinoma of the skin Squamous cell carcinoma of the skin Carcinoma in
situ of the cervix Carcinoma in situ of the breast Incidental histologic finding of
prostate cancer (TNM Classification of Malignant Tumours (TNM) stage of T1a or T1b)

8. Neuropathy of >= grade 2 severity.

9. Known human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positivity or active infectious hepatitis,
type A, B or C.