Ontario To Fund Use Of Velcade – On May 13, Velcade (bortezomib) was added to the list of medications covered by Cancer Care Ontario’s New Drug Funding Program. Reimbursement from the Ontario government will now be available for myeloma patients being treated with Velcade. For more information, please visit The Canadian Press or Newswire Web sites.

2nd International Congress On Leukemia-Lymphoma-Myeloma – This convention will be held from May 21 to 24 in Istanbul, Turkey. Companies attending the Congress will have their products, services, and new advances on exhibition. The Congress will help facilitate the sharing of new ideas and collaboration between companies. For more information, please visit the Congress’s Web site.

AACR Awards Centennial Medals For Distinguished Public Service – On April 19, Kathy Giusti and Nicholas Valvano were awarded the AACR Centennial Medal for Distinguished Public Service at the American Association for Cancer Research’s (AACR) 100th Annual Meeting 2009.  Kathy Giusti is the founder and chief executive officer of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) and was chosen for her efforts in facilitating new drug and treatment development.  Nicholas Valvano is the chief executive officer of The V Foundation, which works to promote and fundraise for cancer research. He was chosen for his outstanding leadership of the foundation. For more information, please visit the MMRF Web site.

For a more detailed listing of myeloma-related events, please check the Myeloma Beacon Events Calender.