Hundreds of blood cancer patients to benefit from new treatment

Hundreds of people with a rare and incurable type of blood cancer are set to benefit from a new drug that has been recommended for use on the NHS.

Elranatamab, known as Elrexfio and made by Pfizer, is an injection that treats myeloma, a cancer that develops in the bone marrow when abnormal plasma cells grow too quickly.

The drug is known as a bispecific antibody, which helps the immune system recognise and kill cancer by binding to myeloma cells and to T cells, a type of white blood cell.

It has been recommended for NHS use through the Cancer Drugs Fund in final draft guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice).

Those eligible are myeloma patients whose cancer has returned and stopped responding to previous drugs, and who have had three other kinds of treatment, with their illness worsening since the last one.

Nice estimates about 700 people will benefit from its recommendation, with trials suggesting the drug could lengthen the amount of time patients have before their condition worsens.

Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at Nice, said: “Multiple myeloma is a difficult to treat, rare and devastating form of cancer which can be debilitating, painful and has substantial impact on quality of life.

“There are limited treatment options so I know this drug will be welcomed by patients.

“Its use through the Cancer Drugs Fund will give people access to this promising new fourth-line treatment while longer-term data on its use is collected to establish whether it is clinically and cost-effective.”

In July, draft guidance from Nice recommended elranatamab with managed access, with patients only eligible for the treatment in instances where the drugs pomalidomide plus dexamethasone would otherwise be offered.

Dr Ruhe Chowdhury, oncology medical director at Pfizer UK, said: “We are pleased that Nice has reviewed its earlier position and taken the decision to recommend elranatamab without the pomalidomide plus dexamethasone restriction, meaning that more patients will now be able to access the treatment via the NHS rather than just a select few.

“This is important considering the relapsing and remitting nature of the disease and the fact that patients continue to need additional options, especially as their cancer advances and stops responding to earlier lines of therapy.”

Myeloma UK estimates around 24,000 people are affected by the disease in the UK, with an estimated 5,900 new diagnoses each year.

Caroline Donoghue, senior policy officer at the charity, also welcomed the decision.

“This is brilliant news,” she said. “Elranatamab is part of a brand-new class of drugs in the UK and will have a huge impact on patients and their families.

“In fact, we know that it has already changed the lives of many people who were close to running out of treatment options.

“As soon as we heard about the restriction on access to elranatamab we challenged the decision. We believed it was deeply unfair to keep this drug out of reach from those who needed it most.

“We worked with clinicians and made sure that patients were heard and that their needs were put front and centre.

“Until we have a cure, it is absolutely vital that all myeloma patients are given as many options to tackle their cancer as possible – no matter where they are on their treatment journey.”