Module 7 – Drug development and new treatments in myeloma
Summary of module
This module provides an overview of drug development including a review of the most promising pipeline drugs for myeloma and the process by which new drugs are licensed and approved.
Myeloma is a complex disease to diagnose and treat. Treatment options have significantly improved over the past decade resulting in increased quality of life and survival. However, it remains an incurable disease and efforts are ongoing to develop better treatments for patients.
The strategy in myeloma is to generate new more effective combinations that provide longer control of the disease with fewer side effects. The most effective of these combinations are likely to contain drugs with new mechanisms of actions added to existing combinations. In addition, newer treatment strategies are likely to become increasingly targeted as the understanding of the genetics and biology of myeloma grows.
It is important for nurses to keep up to date with the latest treatments in development so they are aware of the potential impact they might have on future clinical practice.
As nurses play a central role in helping patients make informed decisions about their treatments, it is crucial they are aware of the clinical trials being conducted in myeloma. They should be confident in discussing the new drugs involved and the risks and benefits of participating in the trials. Equally, it is important nurses are aware of the processes involved in drug development and the many hurdles faced in getting new drugs into the clinic, so that they can manage patient expectations with regards to accessing new myeloma drugs.
You can keep up to date with the latest treatments available using our Myeloma Drug Tracker and Clinical Trial finder.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this module you will be able to:
- Outline the process of preclinical and clinical drug development
- Describe how new drugs are approved and accessed
- Discuss the new treatments in development in myeloma
Study time
The following number of hours of study time is recommended for successful completion of this module:
Online learning: 5
Independent study: 5
Total hours: 10 hours