The U.S. pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb has halted development of tanespimycin, a new drug that had been in late-stage clinical trials as a potential treatment for multiple myeloma.

In a statement to The Myeloma Beacon, a Bristol representative explained that “After careful assessment and consideration, Bristol-Myers Squibb made the decision to terminate our development program for tanespimycin, which was in Phase 3 trials for the potential treatment of multiple myeloma.” 

The Bristol-Myers statement was issued after the Beacon inquired about the status of…

Myeloma Expert Dr. James R. Berenson To Field Questions At The Beacon Forums Next Week –Multiple myeloma patients will once again have the opportunity to get expert answers to their myeloma-related questions: Leading myeloma expert Dr. James R. Berenson, founder of the Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research, will answer medical questions posted to the Beacon’s multiple myeloma forums during the upcoming week. Readers are encouraged to begin posting their questions in the forums.

Potential Myeloma Treatment…

U.K. Agency Recommends Velcade and Thalidomide For Myeloma Patients – The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), the agency that decides which treatments will be funded for patients in England and Wales, released a final draft guidance on June 2 recommending that Velcade (bortezomib) and thalidomide (Thalomid) can be used as first-line treatments for multiple myeloma patients who are not candidates for stem cell transplants. Both drugs are currently recommended as second-line treatments. The final guidance deciding the…

The Myeloma Beacon is pleased to announce the introduction of German-language translations of select articles on the Beacon website.

The translations are the result of a partnership with the Multiple Myeloma and Plasmacytoma Working Group (APMM), the largest multiple myeloma patient organization in Germany.

“I am extremely pleased that we will be able to offer these translations to our German-speaking readers,” said Maike Haehle, an associate publisher of The Myeloma Beacon and a native German.

Articles available in German…

Myeloma Experts From Ohio State University To Field Questions At The Beacon Forums Next Week – As a way of giving multiple myeloma patients an opportunity to get expert answers to their myeloma-related questions, The Myeloma Beacon has arranged for physicians from The Ohio State University’s Myeloma Clinic to answer medical questions posted to the Beacon forums during the upcoming week. The center has a number of young, enthusiastic myeloma specialists who are eager to answer forum readers’ questions.…