NHS England has become the first in the world to introduce a ‘trojan horse’ therapy for the victims of blood cancer with the ground-breaking treatment slowing down the illness three-times more than existing treatments.
Multiple myeloma is a kind of bone marrow cancer which can severely affect different parts of the body such as the spine, skull, pelvis and ribs.
It is more common in men than women, adults over 60, those with a family history of the condition and is twice as common in black populations than white and Asian populations.
Around 1,500 patients a year with multiple myeloma could now be offered the drug belantamab mafodotin on the NHS, after it was approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) yesterday (12 June).
An estimated 6,000 cases of multiple myeloma is diagnosed in the UK each year.
Patients whose cancer has progressed or those who failed to respond to treat using lenalidomide will be eligible for the drug.
The antibody-drug conjugate was studied and developed in the UK to target and defeat cancer cells.
The drug is called ‘trojan horses’ as they area taken up by the cancer cells before releasing large amount of deadly molecule that destroy the the cells from within.
Experiments were conducted and proven effective by trying belantamab mafodotin with bortezomib and dexamethasone with people whose cancer had relapsed. The patients who took the drug showed very slow slow progression by almost three years, compared to patients using other common drugs. The eligible patients will be provided with an infusion every three weeks.
Paul Silvester, 60, from Sheffield was diagnosed with myeloma of the progressing nature in 2023. He was given belantamab mafadotin and he says he feels much better.
“Myeloma is an aggressive type of blood cancer, but we have seen a steady improvement in the outlook for patients over recent years as we have introduced new targeted therapies,” said NHS England National Clinical Director for Cancer Professor Peter Johnson.
He also added, “This treatment could be life-changing for many patients and their families, and that’s why it is so important that the NHS continues to secure quick access to the latest, innovative treatments like this, at affordable prices to the taxpayer.”
Karin Smyth, Health Minister also said, “We’re determined to back scientific breakthroughs that deliver real results for patients – bringing the latest treatments from the lab to those who need them most. It’s another example of how we’re building an NHS fit for the future, one that embraces medical innovation to transform patient care.”
