Dr. Ken Shain Joins The Beacon's Medical Advisor Team – Dr. Ken Shain, an assistant professor of hema­to­logic malignancies at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL, has joined The Myeloma Beacon's team of Medical Advisors.  Beacon Medical Advisors assist with answering medical questions posted in the Beacon’s multiple myeloma forums.  For more in­­for­ma­tion about getting medical questions answered in the forums, please see these instructions.

Onyx And MMRF Offer Carfilzomib Expanded Access Program For Myeloma Patients – Onyx Pharmaceuticals and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) announced last week that they have created the Carfilzomib Myeloma Access Program (C-MAP), which will make carfilzomib available to re­lapsed/refractory multiple myeloma patients in the United States who do not have any treat­ment alter­na­tives. Carfilzomib is cur­rently being in­ves­ti­gated as a treat­ment for multiple myeloma. The drug is not yet approved for use in the U.S.; however, under its expanded access pro­gram, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allows ill patients who lack any other treat­ment options to try a promising drug that is still under devel­op­ment. For more in­­for­ma­tion, please see the Onyx C-MAP website.

Janssen Launches Physician Access Program For Doxil – Janssen Products, the manu­­fac­­turer of Doxil (doxorubicin liposomal), announced on Friday that, in response to a temporary shortage of Doxil, the com­pany has established the Doxil C.A.R.E.S. Physician Access Program.  This pro­gram will allocate any newly available Doxil supply to physicians who are treating patients cur­rently on the drug. The goal of the pro­gram is to ensure that patients cur­rently on Doxil receive their medication.  Janssen announced manu­fac­tur­ing delays last month that resulted in a temporary shortage of the drug. Doxil is cur­rently approved in com­bi­na­tion with Velcade (bor­tez­o­mib) for pre­vi­ously treated multiple myeloma patients. For more in­­for­ma­tion, please see the Doxil website.