Blood cancer patients in England first in world to be offered ‘Trojan horse’ drug
Thousands of patients in England with blood cancer will become the first in the world to be offered a pioneering “Trojan horse” drug that sneaks inside cancer cells and wipes them out.In guidance published on Friday, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) gave the green light to belantamab mafodotin, which can halt the advance of multiple myeloma for three times as long as standard treatments.The targeted therapy, which is given as an infusion every three weeks with other cancer drugs, is a special type of antibody drug that targets and attaches to cancer cells.It has been described as a Trojan horse treatment because it works by being taken into a cancer cell and unleashing a high concentration of a lethal molecule to destroy the cell from inside.Prof Peter Johnson, NHS England’s national clinical director for cancer, said the drug would be life-changing for patients and their families.
“Myeloma is an aggressive type of blood cancer, but we have seen a steady improvement in the outlook for patients over recent years as we have introduced new targeted therapies,” he said.“I am delighted that patients in England will be the first to benefit from this new treatment, which has the potential to keep cancer at bay for years longer, giving people the chance of more precious time with friends and family.”About 1,500 patients a year in England with multiple myeloma, an incurable cancer of the bone marrow, will benefit from the treatment, also known as Blenrep and made by GlaxoSmithKline.Health officials said the drug would be offered to patients whose cancer had progressed or failed to respond to another first-line treatment.Shelagh McKinlay, the director of research and advocacy at the blood cancer charity Myeloma UK, said it was fantastic to see the NHS become the first healthcare system in the world to roll out the drug.
“We have been working very hard for the last year to get this treatment approved and we know it will transform the lives of thousands of people with myeloma,” she said.Paul Silvester, 60, from Sheffield, described the impact of the drug as amazing after he was diagnosed with myeloma in 2023.After the first treatment he received failed to stop his cancer progressing, he was given belantamab mafodotin through an early access programme at the Royal Hallamshire hospital.“I feel like this treatment has brought the party balloons back in the house.It has been amazing – within the first two or three weeks, after the first dose, I was in remission,” he said.
Trials suggest the treatment, in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone, delays progression of the disease by an average of three years, compared with one year for patients taking the commonly used drug daratumumab along with the other treatments.Helen Knight, the director of medicines evaluation at Nice, said: “This recommendation demonstrates our commitment to getting the best care to patients fast, while ensuring value for the taxpayer.”The health minister Karin Smyth said: “This groundbreaking therapy puts the NHS at the forefront of cancer innovation.By harnessing cutting-edge ‘Trojan horse’ technology, we’re offering new hope to blood cancer patients across the country.”
Letting banks loose is back on the agenda as UK politicians chase growth at any cost
As the old ways of turning a profit become more difficult – from assembling cars to selling soap powder – politicians of all stripes want the City to inject some dynamism into the economy.From Labour to Reform, the siren call of London’s financial district is strong. If only, they ask, the wheels of the banking industry could be cranked to spin faster, surely much more money could be generated and we would all be rich.While Rachel Reeves boasted of the huge benefit to economic growth from public investments in rail and renewable energy as central pillars of the government’s spending review, in truth it is not enough to propel the economy forward.To generate the kind of income that will pay for the next 30 years of an ageing society, plans to link Manchester and Liverpool by a marginally faster and more reliable train, though good in itself, is not the answer
Grilled cheese shop offers Minnesotans a second chance after prison
All Square, a neon-lit diner in Minneapolis, specializes in grilled cheese sandwiches with a twist. Variations on the menu include Jamaican jerk chicken with guava jam, brown sugar bacon doused in ranch dressing, and Granny Smith apple slices coated in brie and mozzarella.But the sandwich shop offers more than elevated comfort food. All Square, which also operates a food-truck catering service, exclusively hires formerly incarcerated Minnesotans.“It started with the idea of: how do we respond to this systemic issue of excluding formerly incarcerated folks from, well, everything once we welcome them home?” said Emily Hunt Turner, a civil rights lawyer who founded the restaurant in 2018
There hasn’t been a ‘big chancellor’ since Osborne: IFS chief gives final mark
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‘Grenfell was caused by corporate greed’: report calls for far stronger penalties over unsafe cladding
Companies who are found responsible for unsafe cladding should face unlimited fines and permanent bans from public contracts, according to a report that also says England’s existing laws have not gone far enough to prevent future tragedies.The thinktank Common Wealth said the law fails to effectively hold companies to account for corporate negligence, leaving the door open for another disaster like the Grenfell fire, which killed 72 people in June 2017.The report’s author, Leela Jadhav, said England was falling behind other countries which have stronger due diligence laws.“The Grenfell Tower fire was a disaster caused by corporate greed, not an accident,” she said. “Justice in real terms means sanctions, prosecutions and a more robust and enforceable accountability regime
M&S ‘praying for sun’ but full recovery from cyber-attack unlikely this summer
The bosses at Marks & Spencer will surely be praying for sun.As UK temperatures rise over the coming week, M&S will be hoping it prompts shoppers to fill their virtual baskets with shorts, swimwear and sandals to get its summer sales back on track.After six weeks of costly disruption as the result of a cyber-attack, the retailer started taking internet orders again on Tuesday, making a selection of its fashion ranges available for standard home delivery in England, Scotland and Wales.However, the partial resumption of online services does not mark the end of the website woes. Shoppers in Northern Ireland were told they would have to wait a little while longer before theycould place orders, while click-and-collect and next-day-delivery services would only become available again in the coming weeks
Oil and gold prices soar and stock markets fall after Israel’s attacks on Iran
The price of oil and gold has soared and stock markets have fallen after Israel’s strikes against targets in Iran.The escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, the focal point of global oil production, prompted a sharp increase in wholesale prices. Brent crude surged by more than 7% after news of the attacks broke, briefly moving above $75 (£55) a barrel to its highest level since April.Stocks fell on Wall Street, with the Dow Jones dropping 1.8%, the S&P 500 falling 1
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