“myeloma canada has come so far,” says elias. “we are seeing new treatments, which is encouraging, but we still have to hold the feet of pharma to the fire so that they keep developing new therapies.”
access to drugs is another challenge, one that is felt throughout canada, especially since drug coverage varies depending on where you live.
“it’s one thing to have the treatment developed,” she says. “getting it covered is a whole other thing.”
elias says that treatment development is especially important in myeloma since the disease behaves differently between patients, a challenge when business models sometimes come first.
“all patients will have had a different treatment, or drug combination,” she says. “we aren’t sure why, the science isn’t there yet. however, the way the government sequences drug approval may not be the best for patients.”
also not great for patients is the way myeloma symptoms are often brushed off by physicians. since it tends to affect people between 65 and 75 – although increasingly younger people are being diagnosed – and since symptoms tend to be vague like fatigue and back pain, doctors often dismiss complaints as being age-related.
“patients are often not taken seriously,” says elias. “doctors tell them to do less, to stop shovelling, to rest more, instead of looking into what could be causing these symptoms.”