NICE news for carfilzomib

In June 2017, Amgen’s drug carfilzomib was approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for the treatment of patients with Multiple Myeloma (MM), in combination with dexamethasone. Carfilzomib is recommended for the treatment of adult MM patients that have relapsed and had one prior treatment that does not include the proteasome inhibitor (PI) bortezomib. Data from the ENDEAVOR clinical trial was pivotal in this decision, which showed it is superior to bortezomib, in combination with dexamethasone, and can significantly extend progression free survival (PFS) with limited adverse events (AEs). Carfilzomib is administered intravenously and binds irreversibly to the 20S proteasome, inhibiting its activity and leading to cell cycle arrest. This will be welcome news for MM patients in the UK with relapsed disease, who are seeking new and effective options.