Approval of Two New Cancer Drugs in the U.S.; Shahram Kordasti: A 'Very Good' News for Patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a blood cancer drug produced by Pfizer called 'Alerxifio.' Last week, a similar drug named 'Talvey,' produced by Johnson & Johnson, received approval from this health agency. These antibody-based drugs have been authorized for patients suffering from 'multiple myeloma,' a type of blood cancer that is difficult to treat. Multiple myeloma is a type of bone marrow cancer that can spread throughout the body. Shahram Kordasti, a doctor and professor of oncology at King's College London and a specialist in hematology-oncology, described the approval of these drugs as 'very good news' for cancer patients in an interview with Voice of America. Kordasti explained that cancer immunotherapy drugs remove immune suppression and activate the immune system against cancer cells, but while these methods are very effective, they can cause autoimmune reactions that may even lead to death. Another method used in cancer treatment targets abnormal proteins present on the surface of cancer cells. According to Kordasti, this method also has limitations because some cancers may not have these proteins, or if they do, they may cause severe autoimmune reactions and serious side effects. Kordasti stated, 'The new method [used in the two Pfizer and Johnson drugs] creates a type of antibody that has two ends; one end attaches to the cancer cell, and the other brings an immune cell close to the cancer cell, making this method much more controlled and having fewer side effects [compared to the other two treatment types].' The new drugs help meet the unmet needs of patients with multiple myeloma whose disease has relapsed and who have received at least four other treatments. The biggest challenge of the new drugs is their price. The monthly use of Johnson's 'Talvey' is set at $45,000, but it depends on the patient's weight and the prescribed dose. Johnson & Johnson estimates a price range between $270,000 to $360,000 for an average treatment duration of 6 to 8 months with this drug. Pfizer also states that 'Alerxifio' is sold in the U.S. for $7,556 for a 44 mg vial and $13,000 for a 76 mg vial. Pfizer expects the price of this drug to be $41,500 per month, but with patients transitioning to biweekly doses, the monthly price could drop to $26,000. Both 'Talvey' and 'Alerxifio' are administered as weekly or biweekly subcutaneous injections. With the mass production of these drugs in the future, there is hope that their prices will decrease and become accessible to more individuals. Kordasti says that the development of such therapeutic methods is extremely expensive and requires large budgets from pharmaceutical companies, and only a very small number of every ten or twelve projects reach the clinical stage. In response to a question from Voice of America about whether the development of such innovative cancer drugs is possible in Iran, he said that pharmaceutical companies in Iran do not have the financial capacity for such investments, and the technology for producing these drugs is held by a limited number of countries, including the U.S. and the U.K. Kordasti stated, 'Iran has two options; either import the drugs, which is very expensive, or allow pharmaceutical companies to invest and produce them in Iran, but it seems that international companies currently have little inclination to invest in Iran.' According to Shahram Kordasti, this issue is 'concerning' in the long term, as currently, the necessary drugs for cancer patients in Iran are also not available.