Please login to the form below
Focus on multiple myeloma treatment: Witnessing a transformation
Consultant David Cooney of Blue Latitude Health will take you through how that transformation has happened, and where the treatment of multiple myeloma is heading.
I get very excited by science,
specifically pharmacology, and when I was studying drug development I used to
read case studies about the impact ground-breaking drugs had, and imagine what
it must have been like to be part of that success. I used to harass an old mentor
of mine who was involved in the Herceptin launch for stories about introducing
such an innovative treatment, hoping one day I’d get a chance to be part of such
a transformation in care.
I'm now part of a team at Blue Latitude Health working in multiple myeloma (MM), and with each publication that emerges, it’s clear that we are witnessing a transformation in the treatment of multiple myeloma. In this article, I will take you through how that transformation has happened, and where the treatment of multiple myeloma is heading.
If we reflect on what the treatment options were 10 years ago, two drugs stand out – melphalan and thalidomide. Melphalan, a distant cousin of the mustard gas used to kill World War I soldiers, and thalidomide, the infamous chiral drug which caused birth defects in the 1960s. These drugs have been shown to be efficacious options for patients with MM, but with a low therapeutic index. This meant significant cost in terms of toxicity, and marginal impact on the overall survival of patients.
![]()
I'm now part of a team at Blue Latitude Health working in multiple myeloma (MM), and with each publication that emerges, it’s clear that we are witnessing a transformation in the treatment of multiple myeloma. In this article, I will take you through how that transformation has happened, and where the treatment of multiple myeloma is heading.
The Therapeutic Index of multiple myeloma therapies
“It is easy to be overwhelmed by hype in cancer research, with promising new discoveries often portrayed as so-called game changers….but myeloma is a rare exception” [sic] was the opening of a recent editorial in the Lancet on multiple myeloma. To appreciate the context of this statement we need to consider what treatment options were like for myeloma patients in the past.If we reflect on what the treatment options were 10 years ago, two drugs stand out – melphalan and thalidomide. Melphalan, a distant cousin of the mustard gas used to kill World War I soldiers, and thalidomide, the infamous chiral drug which caused birth defects in the 1960s. These drugs have been shown to be efficacious options for patients with MM, but with a low therapeutic index. This meant significant cost in terms of toxicity, and marginal impact on the overall survival of patients.
Download the full article from Blue Latitude Health
Company Details
Blue Latitude Health
+44 203 328 1840
Address:
Blue Latitude Health (UK)
140 Aldersgate Street
London
EC1A 4HY
United Kingdom
Latest content on this profile
- Diagnosing the lag in neuropsychiatric treatments
- The number of mental health research programmes in larger drug firms has shrunk by 70% in the past decade. Blue Latitude Health Senior Associate Consultant Sana Rahim explores this drop in investment and explains why developing a market-orientated model is vital for making progress.
Blue Latitude Health
- Precision paediatrics: Treating patients with CAR-T
- Dr Stuart Adams specialises in using T-cell therapy to treat paediatric patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Here, he explains what it was like to develop and deliver a groundbreaking CAR-T therapy for the first patient in Europe, and how the centre of excellence has adapted to make precision medicine a reality
Blue Latitude Health
- What does it mean to be an agile organisation
- We spoke with Philip Atkinson to learn how healthcare and pharmaceutical companies can rapidly respond to changes in the market.
Blue Latitude Health
- Battling breast cancer with precision medicine (Part 2)
- Dr Mark Moasser treated breast cancer survivor Laura Holmes-Haddad (interviewed in part one) with an innovative precision medicine, which at the time was yet to be approved. Here he gives his side of the story and explains how industry can help oncologists treat more patients with targeted therapies.
Blue Latitude Health
- Battling breast cancer with precision medicine (Part 1)
- Laura Holmes Haddad is a breast cancer survivor. She made the incredibly brave decision to participate in a PARP inhibitor precision medicine trial. Here, the author and precision medicine advocate tells her story and explains what industry needs to remember when treating cancer patients with precision medicine.
Blue Latitude Health
- The role of brain health in treating MS
- Blue Latitude Health speaks to Professor Gavin Giovannoni, key opinion leader and Chair of Neurology, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, about his theories on brain health, the importance of a holistic approach to MS and why digital technology is the future of effective MS care.
Blue Latitude Health
