On Jun. 13, 2025, people in England will become the first in the world to receive belantamab mafodotin for this indication following the recommendation and the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approval earlier this year.

Around 1,500 people with multiple myeloma are set to benefit from the treatment, which combines belantamab mafodotin (brand name Blenrep) with bortezomib and dexamethasone. The guidance recommends the treatment for adults with multiple myeloma who have had 1 previous treatment containing lenalidomide, and who either cannot tolerate lenalidomide or whose cancer has become resistant to it.

Multiple myeloma is a long-term incurable cancer of the blood plasma cells that goes through periods where symptoms worsen (relapse) and periods where treatment brings the disease under control (remission). People with the condition can experience debilitating complications such as frequent infections and kidney problems that severely impact quality of life.

Results from the DREAMM-7 trial showed that after one year, 71% of people receiving the belantamab mafodotin combination were still free from disease progression, compared with 51% of those receiving standard care. This means an additional 20 out of every 100 people treated with the new combination remained progression-free at the one-year mark. The evidence also suggests people may live longer, with the trial showing a three-year survival rate of 74% in the belantamab mafodotin group compared to 60% in the standard care group, though the trial is still ongoing.

Belantamab mafodotin works differently from other multiple myeloma treatments by specifically targeting a protein called BCMA found on myeloma cancer cells. The antibody part finds and attaches to cancer cells, while the drug part delivers cancer-killing medicine directly to these cells. As the only treatment of its kind available for multiple myeloma, it offers patients a valuable new option when their cancer has stopped responding to previous treatments.