Key Summary
- Scotland approves Blenrep for treating myeloma after NICE approval
- Around 300 patients to benefit from the new BCMA-targeting therapy
- Campaigners urge faster access in Northern Ireland
NHS patients in Scotland will be among the first in the world to use belantamab mafodotin (blenrep) drug to fight myeloma, a type of blood cancer.
This decision followed the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) approval of the same medication earlier this year.
Myeloma affects white blood cells or plasma cells. It remains incurable, with people typically going through cycles of remission and relapse.
NICE’s approval made blenrep accessible via NHS England and Wales, popularly known as the “Trojan horse therapy.”
“Blood cancer is the UK’s third biggest cancer killer, and myeloma remains incurable - so access to new, life-extending treatments like Blenrep offers renewed hope for many,” said Laura Challinor, senior Policy manager at Blood Cancer UK.
As per the new guidance from the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC), blenrep will be administered by combining it with bortezomib and dexamethasone (BorDex).
Blenrep targets the myeloma cells expressing the B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) protein, delivering an anti-cancer agent directly to them.
The SMC approved the new drug as a second-line treatment for adults, after considering lenalidomide as unsuitable.
The drug can be accessed by nearly three hundred myeloma patients in Scotland.
Laura Challinor also said, “The availability of Blenrep across both England and Scotland marks another major step forward in improving treatment options and quality of life for people living with myeloma.”
“But the work isn’t done, decisions in Northern Ireland are still awaited and at Blood Cancer UK, we’ll continue to campaign for faster access to effective treatments and fund the research that will ultimately beat blood cancer sooner,” she reminded.
