The Myeloma Beacon » Beacon NewsFlashes

Beacon NewsFlashes – August 1, 2011

By: The Myeloma Beacon Staff; Published: August 1, 2011 @ 9:17 am | Comments Disabled

U.K. Agency Approves Thalidomide And Velcade For Newly Diagnosed Myeloma Patients – The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), the agency that decides which treatments will be funded for patients in England and Wales, approved funding for thalidomide ^[1] (Thalomid) and Velcade ^[2] (bortezomib) for certain newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients. According to the final guidelines, NICE approved thalidomide for patients ineligible for stem cell transplantation. Due to Velcade’s higher cost, it was approved for the same patients only if they are unable to tolerate thalidomide. Both drugs are supposed to be given in combination with an alkylating agent – e.g., melphalan ^[3] (Alkeran) or cyclophosphamide ^[4] (Cytoxan) – and a corticosteroid – e.g., dexamethasone ^[5] (Decadron) or prednisone ^[6]. For more information, see the NICE ^[7] website.

Australian Myeloma Specialist Receives Lifetime Achievement Award – Dr. Douglas Joshua, a myeloma expert at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Australia, received the Robert A. Kyle lifetime achievement award last month from the International Myeloma Foundation for his work over the past 40 years in the field of multiple myeloma. Dr. Joshua is the head of the Myeloma Research Unit and Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at his hospital and has led basic and clinical research in myeloma. For more information, see the Sydney Central ^[8].

San Diego Area Workshop For Myeloma Patients And Family – The International Myeloma Foundation will hold a free, one-day workshop for myeloma patients and their family members on August 13 in La Jolla, CA. Myeloma specialist Dr. Morie Gertz from the Mayo Clinic and two other guest speakers will discuss topics important to myeloma patients and answer attendees’ questions. The workshop will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Sheraton La Jolla and will last until 3 p.m. Lunch will be provided. For more information or to register, see the International Myeloma Foundation ^[9] website.

For a more detailed listing of myeloma-related events, please check the Myeloma Beacon Events Calendar ^[10].

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URL to article: https://myelomabeacon.org/news/2011/08/01/beacon-newsflashes-august-1-2011/

URLs in this post:

[1] thalidomide: https://myelomabeacon.org/resources/2008/10/15/thalidomide/

[2] Velcade: https://myelomabeacon.org/resources/2008/10/15/velcade/

[3] melphalan: https://myelomabeacon.org/resources/2008/10/15/melphalan/

[4] cyclophosphamide: https://myelomabeacon.org/resources/2008/10/15/cyclophosphamide/

[5] dexamethasone: https://myelomabeacon.org/resources/2008/10/15/dexamethasone/

[6] prednisone: https://myelomabeacon.org/resources/2008/10/15/prednisone/

[7] NICE: http://www.nice.org.uk/TA228

[8] Sydney Central: http://sydney-central.whereilive.com.au/news/story/dedicated-to-the-bone/

[9] International Myeloma Foundation: http://myeloma.org/EventPage.action?tabId=7&queryPageId=4&eventCategoryId=0&eventId=522

[10] Myeloma Beacon Events Calendar: https://myelomabeacon.org/category/events/

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