The National Health Service (NHS) England is set to become the first health system globally to offer the “Trojan horse” therapy, belantamab mafodotin (Blenrep), developed by GSK, for patients with multiple myeloma, following its approval by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
The new targeted treatment is expected to halt disease progression more effectively than existing options.
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By GlobalData1,500 patients annually who suffer from this incurable bone marrow cancer could benefit from belantamab mafodotin.
It will be prescribed to those whose condition has worsened or who have not responded adequately to the first-line treatment drug, lenalidomide.
Belantamab mafadotin operates as an antibody-drug conjugate that specifically targets and binds to cancer cells.
Researchers have described these drugs as “Trojan horses” as they are designed to infiltrate cancer cells and release potent molecules internally, thereby destroying them.
GSK oncology UK head and vice-president Antoine Herbaux stated: “Today’s announcement highlights an example of local innovation. Belantamab mafodotin was partly discovered in Stevenage, the first patient to receive it in clinical trials was in London, and now the UK is the first country to grant patient access.
“This milestone is a great example of the power of scientific innovation and open collaboration to achieve positive outcomes for patients in the UK.”
Clinical trials revealed that when combined with bortezomib and dexamethasone, belantamab mafodotin extended the time before disease progression by an average of three years in a broad patient group with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.
NHS England is expediting access through immediate funding via the Cancer Drugs Fund.
Patients eligible for this regimen will receive infusions every three weeks along with bortezomib injections and oral dexamethasone.
In April 2025, the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) authorised Blenrep for treating multiple myeloma.
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