"It's still the doctor or the healthcare worker who is making the call," he explained.
Around 33,000 people are living with myeloma in the UK. The new drug will be used when the first-choice therapy fails, so around 1,500 patients a year could benefit.The decision comes after a review by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) concluded the drug was cost-effective for NHS use. NICE recommendations are normally adopted in England, Wales and Northern Ireland while Scotland has its own process.
The therapy is kinder than other cancer treatments, but is not free from side-effects.After a cancer cell has been destroyed, the remaining chemotherapy drug will leak into the body. This can cause dry eyes and blurred vision.The technical name for these drugs is an antibody-drug-conjugate.
This therapy was developed by GSK in the UK with early research taking place in Stevenage and the first clinical trials in London.Prof Martin Kaiser, team leader in myeloma molecular therapy at the Institute of Cancer Research, said these "are very smart drugs" and the difference in side effects compared to other drugs "is really remarkable".
While myeloma is still considered an incurable cancer, Prof Kaiser says drugs like this are "an important step towards a functional cure" and he thinks long-term remission will go "above 50% in the next five years".
Antibody drug conjugates are being developed for a range of cancers. The limitation is being able to design an antibody that can target the cancer alone. There is one that can target some types of breast cancer. Research is already taking place on stomach and bowel cancer.Ex-Daily Record reporter Bob Dow said: "To be honest this was more than just a murder.
"This was a cold blooded public execution carried out on one of the most crime-free parts of the UK."This was like Pulp Fiction meets
Emma, who was 13 at the time, was in the Mumutaz restaurant in Kirkwall with her parents.But at 19:15 she witnessed something that left her traumatised.