On the 21^st of June NICE, the United Kingdom’s public body for medicine appraisals, approved the use of the UK’s first bispecific drug for myeloma, elranatamab. Evidence from an ongoing clinical trial showed that the drug can increase the length of time people are in remission. Based on this evidence, elranatamab, commercially known as Elrexfio® and marketed by Pfizer, is recommended with restrictions to be used by the National Health Service (NHS) in England and Wales:

• As a monotherapy after a minimum of three prior therapies, including an immunomodulatory agent (such as lenalidomide, pomalidomide or thalidomide), a proteasome inhibitor (such as bortezomib, carfilzomib or ixazomib) and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody (such as daratumumab or isatuximab), and have shown disease progression on the last therapy
• As an alternative to pomalidomide plus dexamethasone
• Accessible on a temporary basis through the Cancer Drugs Fund (after 3 years NICE will decide if they will make it available permanently through the National Health Service)

Click here to read more about the NICE approval and the continued work of Myeloma UK to advocate for wider access of the medicine.

Elranatamab is a bispecific monoclonal antibody targeting BCMA expressed on the surface of the myeloma cells and CD3 on the surface of T-cells (a type of immune cell). By attaching to both at the same time, it activates the T-cells to find and kill the myeloma cells.

Elranatamab has already been approved by the European Commission following a positive recommendation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the EU drug licensing body, in December 2023.

Please find more information about the EMA approval and about elranatamab here.