NICE approves Sanofi’s Sarclisa combo for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma
pharmafile | October 16, 2020 | News story | Medical Communications, Sales and Marketing | NICE, Sanofi, Sarclisa, multiple myeloma
Sanofi’s Sarclisa (isatuximab) has secured a recommendation from NICE for routine use on the NHS in England and Wales as a treatment for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) when combined with standard care pomalidomide and dexamethasone.
The therapy is specifically approved for use in adults who have received three lines of therapy and previously been treated with at least two treatments including lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor, with their disease progressing since their most recent treatment.
NICE passed its recommendation based on data that showed the combo generated a reduction of 40% in risk of disease progression or death, extending progression-free survival to 11.5 months compared to 6.5 months with pomalidomide and dexamethasone alone.
The drug combo was also found to be well tolerated with no increase in fatal events or treatment continuation compared to pomalidomide and dexamethasone alone.
“Despite a growing understanding of multiple myeloma, it still remains incurable and carries a significant disease burden among the older adult patient population,” remarked Professor Kwee Yong, Consultant in Haematology at University College Hospital in London. “Trials have shown that isatuximab, in combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone, offers a significant advantage over treatments which were – until now – considered the standard of care for adults with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma. Today’s recommendation, therefore, provides us with an urgently needed new therapeutic option for this group of hard-to-treat patients, for whom life expectancy and prognosis is poor.”
The decision will be welcome amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic where outcomes in multiple myeloma have been adversely impacted. There are around 5,700 new diagnoses of multiple myeloma in the UK each year, with roughly 3,000 deaths recorded annually. Only just over half of patients will live for five years or longer following diagnosis.
Matt Fellows
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