Toronto – The Canadian Myeloma Research Group (CMRG) is urging the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA) and Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine (JJIM) to return to the neg
otiating table after talks ended last week without agreeing to cover patient costs for Cilta-cel, a new therapy for patients with multiple myeloma.
“Cilta-cel has shown unprecedented results for patients who have exhausted other treatment options. For Canadians living with multiple myeloma, access to this treatment could mean transformational improvements in survival and quality of life,” says Engin Gul, CMRG CEO.
“We recognize the financial pressures of new medicines in a publicly funded health system, but Cilta-cel is the most effective immunotherapy approved for multiple myeloma, and patients cannot wait. Negotiations must continue so we can find a fair and sustainable path forward.”
The CMRG’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Donna Reece says Canada’s entry into the immunotherapy era will bring historic gains for patients with multiple myeloma—but only if timely access is secured.
“Cilta-cel offers the best treatment outcomes. It’s life changing and life extending,” Reece says. “Ultimately though, only the pCPA and JJIM can resolve pricing issues. We strongly urge both parties to return to negotiations and prioritize patient access.”
Multiple myeloma is a type of blood cancer that starts in plasma cells, which normally help fight infections. In myeloma, these cells grow out of control in the bone marrow, crowding out healthy cells. This can cause bone damage, anemia, kidney problems, and make it harder to fight infections.
Reece says treating multiple myeloma is challenging because the disease often comes back after treatment and can become resistant to drugs over time. Patients may need many different therapies, each with side effects that affect quality of life. Access to new, effective treatments is also uneven, creating stress for patients and families.
“While all CAR T-cell therapies, including Cilta-cel, have specific side-effects and require special expertise for delivery, its use is not limited to younger patients like stem cell transplantation,” says Reece. “This feature, along with the high rates of deep and prolonged remission produced by Cilta-cel, will transform the landscape of myeloma. The availability of Cilta-cel will bring our Canadian myeloma patients closer than ever to the real possibility of cure.”
The Canadian Myeloma Research Group is the only national organization dedicated exclusively to myeloma research. Since 2021, CMRG has run clinical trials at more than 20 centres across Canada with over 350 participants. Its comprehensive national database and research platforms support evidence-based care, drive innovation, and inform healthcare policy while also connecting a wide network of Canadian physicians treating multiple myeloma.
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Media Contact: Kathleen O’Grady, 613-897-9276
For more information, visit: https://cmrg.ca/
BACKGROUNDER
About Cilta-cel
Cilta-cel, marketed under the brand name Carvykti, (ciltacaptagene autoleucel), is a novel pharmaceutical with unprecedented efficacy for patients with Multiple Myeloma. The medication offers extended survival rates and significant improvement in patient quality of life.
Health Canada has approved the use of Cilta-cel for use in this country. The Canada Drug Agency has also endorsed Cilta-cel as the most active immune-therapeutic for treating Multiple Myeloma.
Cilta-cel is recommended for patients with multiple myeloma (MM) who have received at least three prior lines of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor, an immunomodulatory agent, and an anti-CD38 antibody, and who are refractory to their last treatment.
Cilta-cel treatment has shown unprecedented benefit in two different groups of myeloma patients. The first study results were in individuals whose myeloma had progressed after many lines of previous therapy—a dire situation for our patients.
One-third of these Cilta-cel patients remain alive and free of myeloma progression for 5 or more years after a single treatment. This outcome is game-changing in that it indicates, for the first time, realistic hope for prolonged disease control in those with highly-advanced myeloma.
Cilta-cel has also been evaluated earlier in the disease course, after patients had received 1-3 prior regimens and had progressed on the drug lenalidomide. In this second study, Cilta-cel was compared to a control arm of available treatments for such patients.
While the current treatments, as expected, yielded a median progression-free survival rate of only about 1 year, a statistically significant longer rate was observed in those receiving Cilta-cel. In fact, the majority (approximately 60%) were still free of myeloma progression after Cilta-cel compared to only 25% in the control group at a 2.5-year assessment point. Equally exciting, Cilta-cel patients were already surviving significantly longer than the control group.
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