Most of you probably know that I have been working on several new books about multiple myeloma. 

I have been following the progress of one of our patient readers who also lives in the Tampa area.

One of the large pharmaceutical companies which focuses on multiple myeloma related meds, Novartis, will showcase data from 140 abstracts on its current oncology products and investigational agents at the 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

I flew out to Los Angeles late last fall to interview Dr. James Berenson at the Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research.

Novartis Oncology paid for my time and travel.  The primary purpose of the trip was to produce a video for Novartis about their IV bisphosphonate drug, Zometa.  An independent company, WEGO Health, facilitated the interview.

Yesterday I provided you with a link to a site on http://www.mymultiplemyeloma.com/, where patients and/or caregivers can access video footage of other patients, all discussing how they live with their cancer.

It is always interesting to see how each multiple myeloma related publication or organization views news coming out of a large conference like ASH.

I follow an underground, counter-culture type medical blog called Medicynic.  Always good to get a different perspective, right?  Here is a link to a story I read there today:  Why We Need Comparative Medical Studies:  Zometa.

This article from WebMD speaks for itself:

Hot “off the presses,” here is yesterday afternoon’s announcement from the FDA as reported by Reuters:
FDA OKs Amgen’s bone drug in certain cancers
Nov 18 2010 – By Deena Beasley

* Denosumab approved for patients with solid tumors
* Not approved for multiple myeloma
* Shares rise 1.6 percent

I have been hearing a lot about a new, experimental bone strengthening drug, Prolia, lately.  The Myeloma Beacon ran an article about it this week.  Did you see it?

As cancer research goes, progress is being made against multiple myeloma at light speed.  It may not feel that way to anxious patients, but advances are being reported nearly every week. 

Lots of excitement and questions swirling around bisphosphonates lately.  Aredia is the tried and true, less expensive, more conservative option.  Zometa is much stronger than Aredia and requires a far shorter infusion time.  Both drugs can cause osteonecrosis of the jaw (OMJ).  A brand new alternative, Prolia should also be available soon.  There are other new, developmental bisphosphonate and bisphosphonate alternatives on the horizon as well.

There is no question stem cell transplants (SCTs) help many patients for a number of years. But the procedure is not without risk—and some patients get very little benefit in the end.

There has been a lot of interest and concern about the recent FDA warning about bone strengthening drugs like Fosamax, Actonel, Boniva, Reclast and Boniva.

Here is the introduction to a very long and technical Amgen press release as featured Sunday on PRNewswire.com:

I attend multiple myeloma support groups regularly. I understand there is a majority sentiment among members to stop using bisphosphonates (Aredia and Zometa) as quickly as their oncologist will allow.

There has been a long standing debate among the myeloma community concerning bisphosphonates.  Many myeloma docs now believe Zometa and Aredia provide anti-myeloma benefits, in addition to helping bones recover.  I received the following e-mail Friday from Larry, following release of pre-ASCO research data.  Larry represents a group of multiple myeloma patients who take this research very, very seriously.  Although he doesn’t have a science background, you can tell Larry really knows his stuff!  Here is the body of his e-mail:

Here is an interesting article I read on a San Antonio television Website last week about a new bone strengthening agent labeled BHQ880:

Here is a new press release from Amgen, the drug company which manufactures Denosumab.  Denosumab is a bisphosphonate type drug, developed to compete with Zometa and Aredia.  Even though this specific study involves prostate cancer patients, I felt it was important to post it on our multiple myeloma site.  Why?  Because the “buzz” and hopeful excitement about the development of this drug among multiple myeloma docs has been growing for at least a year.  Dr. Brian Durie, with the International Myeloma Foundation and Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in LA, shared his excitement about the drug’s development with attendees at the IMF’s countrywide Patient and Caregiver seminars last year.  I know lots of myeloma docs were excited about Denosumab at ASH in New Orleans in December, but there wasn’t as much data presented as everyone had hoped..  I also heard rumors about possible setbacks and delays in the drugs FDA approval.  No confirmation of that at this time.  Please remember Amgen is the source of this release:

I have been getting e-mails aking about bisphosphonates lately.  Recommended frequency and duration come up most often.  I’m not a doctor.  But the trend has been to stop using Aredia or Zometa sooner rather than later.  How about dosing every three weeks rather than monthly?  If you doctor thinks it is a good idea, why not?  Just not for an indefinite amount of time.  Here is an article I wrote on the subject after discussing Aredia with the International Myeloma Foundation’s (IMF) Medical Director Dr. Brian Durie last September: