Fighting For Multiple Myeloma Patients in Desperate Need: The Commitment From Johnson & Johnson’s Blood Cancer Leader

New Hope for Relapsed Multiple Myeloma

• Tyrone Brewer, the U.S. president of hematology at Johnson & Johnson, spoke to SurvivorNet about the promise of Talvey (generic name: talquetamab) for patients with multiple myeloma that had relapsed.
• Talvey belongs to a class of drugs known as bispecific antibodies, a form of immunotherapy. It works by bringing cancerous myeloma cells close enough to immune cells that the immune system kills the myeloma cells.
• Brewer explains that before Talvey, relapsed patients “really would have exhausted all of their other options, and their only hope would have been to recycle their prior regimen with the hope of having a response. Talvey now offers them new hope because now it’s hitting a new target, and the feedback we’ve gotten has been tremendous.”

At this year's American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference, one of the largest gatherings of leaders in the oncology world, SurvivorNet had the opportunity to speak to influential figures who help decide which treatments receive funding and support — and get an idea about the biggest advances in cancer care over the past year. Among these influential figures was Tyrone Brewer, the U.S. president of hematology at Johnson & Johnson, a renowned leader in multiple myeloma treatment. He and his team consistently prioritize patients' needs in their work. “For those patients that have unfortunately been diagnosed with cancer, I want you to know that we are here to fight for you. You are our purpose. You are our drive,” Brewer tells SurvivorNet. Patients living with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, know all too well the risk of relapse. When multiple myeloma returns after treatment, it usually means that residual cells were either resistant to the treatment from the start or developed resistance as the treatment was ongoing.

What is Talvey?

Talvey (generic name: talquetamab) is produced by Johnson & Johnson. It’s been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat patients with multiple myeloma whose disease has returned after undergoing prior lines of treatment. Talvey belongs to a class of drugs known as bispecific antibodies , a form of immunotherapy. It works by bringing cancerous myeloma cells close enough to immune cells that the immune system kills the myeloma cells. “For patients, prior to Talvey, they really would have exhausted all of their other options, and their only hope would have been to recycle their prior regimen with the hope of having a response. Talvey now offers them new hope because now it’s hitting a new target, and the feedback we’ve gotten has been tremendous,” Brewer explains.

Working to Improve Access to Patients in Community Hospitals

Academic healthcare centers (academic hospitals) and community centers (community hospitals) offer a standard-of-care treatment for various cancers. However, academic centers may have more resources and access to certain treatments. The reality is that most patients are treated at community-based healthcare facilities. Brewer says Johnson & Johnson has put added focus on these critical healthcare outlets. “We have additional resources that we provide to help them do either in-services and education not only around the medication but also AE (adverse event) management,” Brewer said. Adverse events are unfavorable signs, symptoms, or diseases associated with using a specific medicine — also commonly known as side effects. Ultimately, Brewer says he’d like to see patients get a similar standard of care at community-based hospitals as they would at more resourced academic centers.