June 13 (UPI) -- England's National Health Service said Friday it is the first health system in the world to offer a targeted blood cancer therapy that can stop progression of the cancer for nearly three times as long existing treatments.
Known as a "trojan horse' therapy, belantamab mafodotin was approved Thursday for treating multiple myeloma.
The NHS said in a statement, "Belantamab mafadotin -- which was research and developed in the UK -- is an antibody-drug conjugate, a type of treatment which targets and attaches to cancer cells.
"The drugs have been described by researchers as 'trojan horses' as they are designed to be taken up by the cancer cell, before releasing a high concentration of a lethal molecule to destroy the cell from within."
The NHS statement shared the story of patient Paul Silvester, diagnosed with myeloma in July 2023. His cancer caused broken bones in his back and a spinal tumor.
