NHS: Two new multiple myeloma treatments

Editor's note 17th June 2011 - NICE has today issued final draft guidance recommending thalidomide and bortezomib for multiple myeloma.

26^th August 2010 - The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is recommending two treatments for multiple myeloma - thalidomide and bortezomib.

Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer that develops from cells in the bone marrow.

There is no cure, but treatments can stop the progress of the condition and help to relieve symptoms.

Approximately 3,600 cases of multiple myeloma are diagnosed every year in the UK.

New guidance

In draft guidance issued today, thalidomide, in combination with an alkylating agent and a corticosteroid, is recommended for the first-line treatment of multiple myeloma in people for whom high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplantation is considered inappropriate.

Bortezomib in combination with an alkylating agent and a corticosteroid is recommended as a treatment option if the person is unable to tolerate or has contraindications to thalidomide.

NICE says the average cost of bortezomib per treatment cycle is £3,000, and £2,100 for thalidomide.

NICE says the choice of treatment will differ for each person, but thalidomide would be considered more appropriate in most cases. 

Dr Carole Longson, Health Technology Evaluation Centre Director at NICE, says in a statement: “The evidence clearly showed that both thalidomide and bortezomib regimens are more effective at delaying disease progression and improving patients’ life expectancy than the current treatment of an alkylating agent and corticosteroid alone.”

Until final guidance is issued, local NHS organisations will have to make local decisions about funding these treatments.