TWO new drugs have been added to the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) in recent days, with cystic fibrosis (CF) patients and those with multiple myeloma potentially able to benefit.
Alyftrek (vanzacaftor/tezacaftor/deutivacaftor, Vertex) has been approved by the TGA for the treatment of people aged six years and older who meet the diagnostic criteria for CF and who have a responsive mutation in the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene.
It is the latest treatment option for CF and the fifth CFTR modulator to be approved in Australia.
The once daily, triple combination therapy, targets the underlying cause of the disease by improving CFTR function at and below the cell surface.
Meanwhile, an antibody drug conjugate Blenrep (belantamab mafodotin, GSK) has become the first drug of its kind to be approved for multiple myeloma, a cancer with 2,600 new cases each year.
The so-called "Trojan Horse" treatment comprises a monoclonal antibody connected to an anti-cancer medicine, which finds the cancer cells and delivers the anti-cancer drug directly inside the cell.
It is registered for use in adults with multiple myeloma who have relapsed or become resistant to first-line treatment as part of a triplet combination.
An application for PBS listing is pending.
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