Myeloma New Zealand submitted an online response to the plan on behalf of myeloma patients, pointing in particular to the need for full inclusion of blood cancers in the plan’s focus, and prioritisation of the need for equitable access to modern medications. Read the response hereContinue Reading
Newly diagnosed patients with myeloma who are about to start treatment may benefit from a fixed course of prophylactic antibiotics to prevent Pneumocystis pneumonia, new research suggests. The double-blind phase III randomised TEAMM trial of almost 1,000 newly diagnosed patients showed that a 12-week course of levofloxacin (500mg daily) during myeloma treatment reduced the incidence...Continue Reading
An update of the Medicines Waiting List report has just been released. The Medicines Waiting List shows how long patients have been waiting for medicines that have been positively recommended by PHARMAC’s clinical expert committee PTAC but are not yet funded by PHARMAC. This report is the fifth of it’s type and also compares the current waiting...Continue Reading
This story was originally published on The Limbic Improving the outcomes of multiple myeloma patients with high-risk abnormalities (HRA) continues to pose a therapeutic challenge, but the future of multiple myeloma treatment is bright, with so many active drugs and immunotherapies on the horizon, a recent Amgen-sponsored educational meeting in Perth heard. Doctor M Hasib...Continue Reading
Go along in person or watch live on Facebook (see details below) as Pharmac presents their oral submission at the Committee’s meeting on Wednesday, 23 October 2019, from approximately 08.30am to 09.50am, at Parliament Buildings in Wellington. They will address all of the following petitions in one submission. Petition of Jeffrey Chan: Ask Pharmac to...Continue Reading
This story was originally published on stuff Every three months, a package containing cancer medication arrives at Trevor Gately’s Nelson home from India. The 73-year-old was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2016. A form of blood cancer, it causes cancer cells to accumulate in the bone marrow, where they crowd out healthy blood cells. After...Continue Reading
OPINION: Statements about priorities for the new cancer agency made by agency head Professor Diana Sarfati are cause for serious concern. Last Saturday’s profile of Sarfati, in which she was asked to name her three priorities, said: “One thing not on that priority wish list is more money for the stream of high-cost, life-prolonging drugs for terminal cancer,...Continue Reading
Greetings A lot has happened since my last newsletter, but hopefully you’ve been keeping up with some of this through our website. The big event of the year has been the launch of our new Myeloma Burden of Disease report at a breakfast in Parliament on 26 June. Read about it here. This three-part suite...Continue Reading
Myeloma UK funded research from The Institute of Cancer Research, London, has identified the main biological processes which cause the genetic mutations associated with the development of myeloma. The research, published in Blood Cancer Journal, increases our knowledge of how myeloma develops and evolves and also suggests that analysis of mutational signatures could play a role...Continue Reading
A retrospective cohort study identified real-world epidemiology, treatment patterns, and survival outcomes in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) in Israel. The findings were reported in Leukemia Research. The study was conducted using databases from Maccabi Healthcare Services, a nationwide health plan in Israel that accounts for a quarter of the country’s population. The prevalence of MM was determined...Continue Reading
