Blood cancer patients in England first in world to be offered ‘Trojan horse' drug
Thousands of patients in England with blood cancer will become the first in the world to be offered a pioneering 'Trojan horse' drug that sneaks inside cancer cells and wipes them out.
In guidance published on Friday, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) gave the green light to belantamab mafodotin, which can halt the advance of multiple myeloma for three times as long as standard treatments.
The targeted therapy, which is given as an infusion every three weeks with other cancer drugs, is a special type of antibody drug that targets and attaches to cancer cells.
It has been described as a Trojan horse treatment because it works by being taken into a cancer cell and unleashing a high concentration of a lethal molecule to destroy the cell from inside.
Prof Peter Johnson, NHS England's national clinical director for cancer, said the drug would be life-changing for patients and their families.
'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,' he said.
'I am delighted that patients in England will be the first to benefit from this new treatment, which has the potential to keep cancer at bay for years longer, giving people the chance of more precious time with friends and family.'
About 1,500 patients a year in England with multiple myeloma, an incurable cancer of the bone marrow, will benefit from the treatment, also known as Blenrep and made by GlaxoSmithKline.
Health officials said the drug would be offered to patients whose cancer had progressed or failed to respond to another first-line treatment.
Shelagh McKinlay, the director of research and advocacy at the blood cancer charity Myeloma UK, said it was fantastic to see the NHS become the first healthcare system in the world to roll out the drug.
'We have been working very hard for the last year to get this treatment approved and we know it will transform the lives of thousands of people with myeloma,' she said.
Paul Silvester, 60, from Sheffield, described the impact of the drug as amazing after he was diagnosed with myeloma in 2023. After the first treatment he received failed to stop his cancer progressing, he was given belantamab mafodotin through an early access programme at the Royal Hallamshire hospital.
'I feel like this treatment has brought the party balloons back in the house. It has been amazing – within the first two or three weeks, after the first dose, I was in remission,' he said.
Trials suggest the treatment, in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone, delays progression of the disease by an average of three years, compared with one year for patients taking the commonly used drug daratumumab along with the other treatments.
Helen Knight, the director of medicines evaluation at Nice, said: 'This recommendation demonstrates our commitment to getting the best care to patients fast, while ensuring value for the taxpayer.'
The health minister Karin Smyth said: 'This groundbreaking therapy puts the NHS at the forefront of cancer innovation. By harnessing cutting-edge 'Trojan horse' technology, we're offering new hope to blood cancer patients across the country.'
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