The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has approved Tecvayli – also known as teclistamab – for patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM), making Scotland the first UK nation to accept this innovative treatment within its full licensed indication.

Patients in Scotland who have received at least three prior therapies, including an immunomodulatory agent, a proteasome inhibitor and an anti-CD38 antibody, and have shown disease progression on the last therapy, will now have access to this first-in-class bispecific antibody.

Teclistamab has been shown to significantly extend life expectancy for these patients.
Before this approval, patients in Scotland who had undergone three lines of therapy faced a severe lack of effective treatment options and a poor prognosis.

Typically, the efficacy of treatments diminishes with each additional therapy, and if a patient relapses after receiving three prior treatments, their average life expectancy is reduced to just 9.7 months.

Scott Purdon, Head of Patient Advocacy at Myeloma UK, expressed his enthusiasm: “We’re absolutely delighted. Teclistamab is part of the first new class of drugs to be approved in Scotland in seven years and could be a lifeline for people who are close to running out of treatment options.”

“It has shown excellent results in clinical trials and allowed some people who have never responded well to treatment to experience their very first complete remission. Until we have a cure, it is absolutely vital that all myeloma patients are given as many options to tackle their cancer as possible – no matter where they are on their treatment journey,” he added.

Teclistamab targets B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) and cluster of differentiation 3 (CD3) receptors, redirecting T-cells to multiple myeloma cells to help destroy them.

The latest data from the Phase 1/2 MajesTEC-1 study shows that 63% of patients had an overall response to treatment, with 46% achieving a complete response or better.

Eli Lilly and Company has announced promising results from two phase 3 clinical trials, QWINT-1 and QWINT-3, evaluating the efficacy of once-weekly insulin efsitora alfa (efsitora) in adults with type 2 diabetes.

The trials demonstrated that efsitora provides a similar reduction in HbA1C levels compared to daily insulin injections.

“Once-weekly basal insulins, like efsitora, have the potential to transform diabetes care,” reflected Jeff Emmick, Senior Vice President, Product Development at Lilly.  “Many type 2 diabetes patients are reluctant to start insulin because of the burden it places on them. Once-weekly efsitora could potentially make it easier for people with type 2 diabetes to start and manage insulin therapy, while reducing the impact it has on their day-to-day lives.”

In the QWINT-1 study, efsitora was administered via four fixed doses once weekly in a single-use auto-injector to insulin-naïve adults.

The trial met its primary endpoint, showing non-inferior HbA1C reduction compared to daily insulin glargine over 52 weeks. Efsitora reduced HbA1C by 1.31%, resulting in an HbA1C of 6.92%, compared to a 1.27% reduction and an HbA1C of 6.96% for insulin glargine.

The QWINT-3 study evaluated efsitora in adults switching from daily basal insulin injections. Over 78 weeks, efsitora demonstrated non-inferior HbA1C reduction compared to daily insulin degludec, further supporting its potential as a convenient alternative for diabetes management.

These findings suggest that once-weekly efsitora could simplify insulin therapy for people with type 2 diabetes, potentially improving adherence and overall quality of life.