Blood cancer drug hailed a ‘game changer’

A NEW blood cancer drug has been approved for use in Australia — now patients wait to learn if it will be subsidised.

Denis Livis, with wife Lisa, children Jason, 27, and Thaleia, 25, and dog Sebby, has seen his cancer levels plummet. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

A NEW cancer drug capable of adding years to the lives of some blood cancer patients has been approved for use in Australia as patients wait to learn if it will be subsidised.

The new immunotherapy, called Darzalex, has been hailed as a “game changer” in the treatment of myeloma after its development was fast-tracked in the US and it was approved for use in Australia in July.

Cricket legend Max Walker died in September 2016 from myeloma. Picture: Bob Thomas/Getty Images

An application to list the drug on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme will be assessed this week. It could see the immunotherapy cost $38.80 per script, rather than the $5850 per infusion currently charged in the US.

With Australia’s myeloma specialists also gathering in Sydney this week for their annual conference, Professor Miles Prince, from Epworth Healthcare, said hope was building over the effect Darzalex might have on the disease.

Cricket legend Max Walker died in September 2016 from myeloma. It claims 900 Australians each year.

“This is a game changer for myeloma,” Prof Prince said.

“It is working in a completely new mechanism of actions so, even if patients have failed chemotherapy or they have failed the current best-available treatments, this can be effective.

“It improves progression-free survival by anything between nine and 12 months.

“But there seems to be a group of patients who do extremely well and get big ­responses in remission for years.”

Myeloma is an incurable cancer of the blood’s immune cells. It also destroys bone and bone marrow and attacks the kidneys in patients with an average age of 65.

Darzalex — despite being approved for use in Australia on July 17 — is available only on medical trials or compassionate access schemes from its manufacturer.

After being diagnosed with advanced multiple myeloma a year ago, Denis Livis has seen chemotherapy and high-dose chemotherapy fail to affect the cancer, before a stem cell transplant and thalidomide treatment resulted in a partial response. Five weeks ago, he got Darzalex on a compassionate access scheme, and saw levels of cancer reduced from reading near 300 to just 18.

“I am nearly myeloma free,” he said. “It is good news. It has taken a year, but I am happy to be here a year later with nearly getting the myeloma under control.”

“This is uncharted. There is no cure yet, but this might be a good direction to go down.”