What has SMC said?
The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has not recommended belantamab mafodotin, used for treating adults with myeloma who:
- Have received at least four previous treatments, and
- Whose disease has not responded to any of the following types of medicines: one proteasome inhibitor, one immunomodulatory agent, and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody, and
- Where their disease has got worse since receiving their last treatment.
This page summarises the SMC decision and what it means for patients.
You can find more detailed information about the SMC assessment of belantamab mafodotinby looking at the SMC Detailed Advice Document (SMC2597).
What does SMC’s decision mean for patients?
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What does SMC’s decision mean for patients? Belantamab mafodotin should not normally be prescribed on the NHS in Scotland. Your healthcare professional should talk with you about other treatment options. If your healthcare professional thinks you would benefit from it, they can make a request to prescribe belantamab mafodotin. All health boards have procedures in place to consider these requests. You can find more information about making decisions about your treatment in this booklet called: Medicines in Scotland: What’s the right treatment for me? |
More about SMC’s decision
SMC was unable to accept belantamab mafodotin for routine use.
The evidence provided by the company on how well the medicine works, along with how much it would cost to use it, was not strong enough. The committee was not satisfied it offers value for money to NHS Scotland.
How does SMC make its decision?
SMC carefully considers every new medicine to make sure it benefits patients and is likely to be a good use of NHS resources.
To do this SMC studies the following:
- Evidence from the company about how well the medicine works compared with current treatments available in Scotland, in relation to how much they will cost to buy and use to treat patients.
- Information from patient groups about the potential impact of the medicine on patients and carers.
- Advice from healthcare professionals about any benefits of the new medicine compared to current treatment, along with how the new medicine is likely to be used.
When SMC assesses a medicine it takes account of the needs of all patients in NHSScotland, not only those who may be treated with the medicine.
You can find out more about how SMC decides here: https://www.scottishmedicines.org.uk/how-we-decide/
More information and support
The organisation below can provide more information and support for people with myeloma and their families. SMC is not responsible for the content of any information provided by external organisations.
Myeloma UK
https://www.myeloma.org.uk 0800 980 3332
You can find out more about belantamab mafodotin (Blenrep®) in the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) by searching for the medicine name on the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) website.