Treatment with Aplidin (plitidepsin) in combination with dexamethasone was approved in Australia for multiple myeloma patients who have failed or are resistant to other therapies.
The decision by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) means that myeloma patients in Australia will be the first to have access to this medication.
Specifically, Aplidin was approved for patients who relapsed after three lines of treatment, including proteasome inhibitors or immunomodulators. The therapy also can be given as third-line treatment to patients who are refractory or intolerant to proteasome inhibitors or immunomodulators.
Aplidin is extracted from the sea squirt (Aplidium albicans). It binds to the protein product of the EEF1A2 gene, believed to play an important role in cancer development. Aplidin leads to tumor cell death via apoptosis, which refers to “programmed” cell death, as opposed to cell death caused by injury.
Read more at: https://myelomaresearchnews.com/2019/01/04/aplidin-approved-in-australia-for-relapsed-or-refractory-multiple-myeloma/