Immunomodulatory drugs

Immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) are often used in first-line, non-intensive myeloma treatment regimens. A huge advantage of these drugs is that they are taken orally. Watch the following video where Dr Charlotte Pawlyn explains how IMiDs work and why they are effective in treating myeloma. There are two IMiDs licensed for use in newly-diagnosed, transplant-ineligible patients: thalidomide and lenalidomide (Revlimid ®).

IMiDs work by affecting the body’s immune system. They kill myeloma cells in several different ways:

• Directly killing or stopping the growth of myeloma cells
• Blocking the growth of new blood vessels that supply the myeloma cells with oxygen and nutrition
• Helping the immune system to kill the myeloma cells
• Changing the production of chemical messages involved in the growth and survival of the myeloma cells
• Preventing the myeloma cells from sticking to the bone marrow stroma (the tissue and cells not involved in blood cell production)