The treatment is the culmination of years of tireless British research and investment, with key milestones achieved at GSK’s Stevenage facility.
In a major victory for British science and healthcare, the NHS in England has become the first health service in the world to roll out a revolutionary ‘trojan horse’ therapy for patients with an aggressive and currently incurable form of blood cancer.
The breakthrough comes after years of British-led innovation and development.
The cutting-edge treatment, belantamab mafodotin, will now be offered to around 1,500 patients a year suffering from multiple myeloma—a cancer of the bone marrow that causes widespread damage to bones and drastically affects quality of life.
Approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on 12 June, the drug was researched and developed in the UK, with its early clinical trials conducted on British patients. The NHS has fast-tracked access to the treatment through immediate funding from the Cancer Drugs Fund, ensuring eligible patients can begin receiving it from today.
Unlike conventional therapies, belantamab mafodotin is an antibody-drug conjugate—a highly targeted treatment that homes in on cancer cells before releasing a potent, cell-killing agent from within. Scientists have dubbed it a “trojan horse” for its ability to deceive and destroy cancer at the cellular level.
Clinical trials revealed that in patients with relapsed or treatment-resistant multiple myeloma, the therapy—when combined with other drugs bortezomib and dexamethasone—tripled the time before the disease progressed compared to existing therapies. The average time to progression was extended to three years, compared to just over one year with commonly used alternatives.
This is no overnight success story. The treatment is the culmination of years of tireless British research and investment, with key milestones achieved at GSK’s Stevenage facility. The first patient to receive the drug in clinical trials was treated in London, and now Britain proudly becomes the first country to offer it to patients on a national scale.
Paul Silvester, 60, from Sheffield, was diagnosed with myeloma last year and became one of the first recipients through an early access programme after his initial treatment failed. The impact was immediate and life-changing.
“I feel like this treatment has brought the party balloons back in the house,” Paul said. “It has been amazing – within the first two or three weeks, after the first dose, I was in remission.”
“It gives me quite a lot of confidence in the drugs and it makes me more optimistic about the future. One of my daughters is graduating from university in October and it’s a goal for me to be there.”
Multiple myeloma affects over 6,000 people in the UK each year, and around 33,000 people are currently living with the condition. It remains incurable, with patients often cycling through several lines of treatment as the cancer relapses.
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Cancer, said the rollout is a game-changer:
“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.”
“This treatment could be life-changing for many patients and their families, and that’s why it is so important that the NHS continues to secure quick access to the latest, innovative treatments like this, at affordable prices to the taxpayer.”
Shelagh McKinlay, Director of Research and Advocacy at Myeloma UK, also celebrated the UK’s global leadership in this field:
“It’s fantastic to see the UK at the forefront of myeloma treatment. NHS England has demonstrated that it is possible for myeloma patients to have world-first access to innovative drugs.”
While the treatment offers hope, patients must undergo routine eye exams before and during therapy due to the risk of ocular side effects, including blurred vision and dry eyes.
Still, the wider significance of this development cannot be overstated. Britain’s thriving life sciences sector, centred around Stevenage, Oxford, Cambridge, and London, has made this possible—cementing the UK’s position as a global powerhouse in medical innovation.
As Antoine Herbaux, GSK’s Vice President and Head of Oncology UK, put it:
“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 is British ingenuity at its best—science, the NHS, and pharmaceutical innovation working together to deliver world-first care, years in the making and proudly homegrown.
Source: NHS
