15 September 2015 - UK patients with myeloma have been dealt yet another blow after cost regulators issued a preliminary rejection for the use of Novartis’ Farydak by the National Health Service in England and Wales.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is currently appraising the drug’s use in combination with Celgene’s Velcade (bortezomib) and dexamethasone to fight the condition in patients who have already received at least two prior therapies.

Farydak (panobinostat lactate) is the first cancer medicine to target enzymes known as histone deacetylases, offering a novel mechanism of action different from other MM treatments on the market.

Clinical data underpinning the drug's European approval earlier this month show that it can boost progression-free survival; patients receiving the Farydak regimen saw a delay in their disease progression of about 7.8 months more than those given Velcade/dexamethasone alone.

For more details, go to: http://www.pharmatimes.com/Article/15-09-15/NICE_no_for_Novartis_Farydak_a_blow_for_multiple_myeloma_patients.aspx