Blood cancer medicine approved by the NHS

A NEW treatment for incurable blood cancer that can help extend patients’ lives by more than three years has been given the go-ahead for use by the NHS in Scotland.

- By Katrine Bussey

A NEW treatment for incurable blood cancer that can help extend patients’ lives by more than three years has been given the go-ahead for use by the NHS in Scotland.

The drug belantamab mafodotin — also known as Blenrep — has been approved for use for patients with myeloma, when used with two other drugs, bortezomib and dexamethasone.

The combined treatment, known as BVD, has been described as a “Trojan horse”, which extends the life of those with the disease by an average of more than three years.