New blood cancer drug approved for patients in Scotland

A new drug for treating a type of blood cancer for patients who have had only one previous treatment has been recommended by the Scottish Medicines Consortium. (SMC)

SMC approves new treatment for multiple myeloma.

The SMC has approved Darzalex, known as daratumumab, to be used alongside bortezomib and dexamethasone.

The decision came after data revealed patients receiving daratumumab, in combination with the other two drugs, lived longer with the disease, without it getting any worse.

This follows a recommendation by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which gives the go-ahead for patients’s treatment in England, to approve it.

Myeloma, also known as multiple myeloma, arises from plasma cells. There were 266 deaths from myeloma in Scotland in 2017.

Each year in Scotland around 450 new cases of myeloma are diagnosed and the disease accounts for 1.5 percent of all new cancer cases.

Multiple myeloma is incurable but treatment often helps control symptoms and improve quality of life. Patients relapsing after treatment with standard therapies, have poor prognoses and few treatment options available.

Shelagh McKinley, head of patient advocacy at Myeloma UK, said the drug being offered early in treatment was particularly welcome.

“This approval is really good news for patients in Scotland and their families.

“We know from our research that keeping their myeloma under control is the most important thing for patients.

“Having access to daratumumab in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone, and benefiting from the improved remission it delivers, is therefore hugely welcome.

“It is also good to see this combination being available to patients early in the treatment pathway where more patients can benefit.”

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman, MSP, responding to the SMC’s decision to approve the use of Darzalex, along with two other drugs, Trisenox, Ibrance, said: “We welcome the decisions to approve three more cancer medicines for use across NHS Scotland.

“This includes Trisenox which offers an effective alternative to chemotherapy for adults with newly diagnosed, low-to-intermediate risk promyelocytic leukaemia, as well as Ibrance which could extend the lives of people with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer and Darzalex.

“Being diagnosed with cancer is devastating for all those affected, and we are committed to supporting and continually improving patient care.”