Pfizer invests $4.9M in McMaster University-led myeloma study
by CM Staff
Embrace will launch in July 2024 at five sites across Canada.
KIRKLAND — Pfizer has invested $4.9 million in a study called Embrace led by McMaster University, through the Ontario Clinical Oncology Group, that aims to improve care for Canadians living with multiple myeloma.
The study, led by Dr Hira Mian, assistant professor in the university’s oncology department and a hematologic oncologist at Hamilton Health Sciences, will study how adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) can safely receive treatment and care at home, to improve patient care and reduce pressure on Canada’s health systems.
“Multiple Myeloma is a blood cancer which can cause significant morbidity and mortality. Certain therapies – especially newer modalities like bispecific antibodies – require patients to be admitted to hospital to receive treatment, at least for the first few days,” Mian said.
Mian further explained that the study will evaluate whether treatment can be delivered safely to patients at home, using remote patient monitoring as one of the measures. Remote monitoring will help reduce the time patients spend travelling to treatment appointments and time in the hospital, which can help improve their quality of life. This will also help reduce overall hospital appointments for patients and strain on the healthcare system. Furthermore, because multiple myeloma patients are particularly susceptible to infection, the study will also examine how increasing the treatment dosing interval may help decrease the risk of infections.
Embrace will launch in July 2024 at five sites across Canada in Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Hamilton.
“Multiple myeloma is a disease of high unmet need as patients often relapse and become refractory to successive and limited therapies,” said Andrew Brown, medical affairs lead, oncology at Pfizer Canada. “We are committed to supporting patients and the multiple myeloma community affected by this difficult disease, which is why we are proud to be partnering with McMaster University to advance research and our understanding in this space.”
