Multiple myeloma is one of the most uncommon types of cancer, but no less deadly because of it, as patients of the plasma cells disease will survive, on a median, for 3 or 4 years, with further multiple myeloma treatments possibly extending survival up to 5 to 7 years.
Currently, different multiple myeloma treatments focus on therapies that decrease plasma cell population, decreasing symptoms of the disease as well as bisphosphonates to prevent fractures given the body's poor condition during this illness and possible treatment for anemia; now, a major company's taking further steps to treat those suffering from advanced stages of this cancer.
In the latest news regarding multiple myeloma treatments, Novartis, the number one pharmaceutical seller in the world based on Switzerland, recently got a new drug approved for treating this type of cancer, Ferydak, which is meant to treat the disease in its more advanced stages to provide a new way for patients to be treated for it.
According to Nasdaq, this new multiple myeloma treatment received the approval of the European Commission last week, meant specifically for relapsed and/or refractory versions of the cancer in those patients who have already received previous treatments such as Velcade and any immunomodulatory agent or IMiD.
Medical Daily reports that this is the second round of approval Novartis gets for its new multiple myeloma treatment, as the Switzerland-based pharmaceutical giant received a similar go from the United States Food and Drug Administration.
"Patients with multiple myeloma often relapse or stop responding to treatments; Farydak offers a new mechanism of action, which may improve the effectiveness of response to standard-of-care treatment in patients," Dr. Philippe Moreau, from the Department of Hematology at the University Hospital of Nantes, told Reuters.
Farydak is the first multiple myeloma treatment that inhibits activities in certain enzymes, which could slow the over development of plasma cells in this crucial time.
