Dear All,
This is a very difficult and stressful time for everybody with all the uncertainty of the pandemic unfolding. I would hope that most people have been double vaccinated by now. This week we got the welcome news that a third vaccination will be available for use in immune-compromised individuals. The details are available on the Ministry of Health website and can be accessed through your primary health provider. We are not recommending that people need to worry about measuring antibody levels.
The interim Pharmac review should have been published by now and has been delayed. It is apparently in the hands of the Minister of Health and should be available soon we are told.
The CATSOP minutes are also due in November and it will be interesting to see what they think of the Daratumamab submission. We are certainly hoping to get some progress in drug funding, as it has been a quiet year. There is a trial open for refractory/relapsed myeloma in t(11,14) patients and details are on the website.
It has been a difficult year all round and we have not been able to hold as many seminars as planned. It proved to be a sensible decision to put off plans for a national seminar until a suitable time next year. Let us hope that we will have some better news in the next newsletter.
We have added a Q&A section to our website. Each month we will select questions about multiple myeloma and provide answers on our website. Email addresses and surnames will remain confidential. Submit your Q&A question through the website or email to admin@multiplemyeloma.org.nz, and keep an eye out on this in the coming months.
Keep safe.
Nga mihi
Ken Romeril