JHAH Among First in Kingdom to Use Breakthrough Blood Cancer Drug

Oncology Center of Excellence introduces elranatamab, a new immunotherapy drug for patients with multiple myeloma who do not respond to other treatments.

Cancer patients at Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare (JHAH) are among the first in Saudi Arabia to be treated with this breakthrough immunotherapy drug.

Four JHAH patients have received elranatamab, a new late-stage treatment for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, which was approved by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) in mid-August for treating afflicted adult patients who have received at least four prior lines of therapy.

Multiple myeloma is a type of blood cancer that affects the bone marrow. It decreases the body’s ability to fight infections, can lead to kidney problems, and weakens bones. “Refractory” multiple myeloma means that the cancer does not respond to one or more kinds of treatment.

Administered by subcutaneous injection, elranatamab stimulates the body’s own immune system to seek and destroy cancer cells. It belongs to a class of drugs called bispecific antibodies, which are engineered proteins that connect immune cells with cancer cells. Elranatamab is one of three approved medicines that target the BCMA antigen on cancer cells.

“Elranatamab is giving hope to multiple myeloma patients who have continually relapsed after treatment,” said Dr. Samer Abushullaih, physician manager of oncology hematology Unit. “It gives us one more treatment option when we have tried everything else — a point where previously the patient may have lost hope.”

Dr. Samer Abushullaih, physician manager of oncology hematology Unit added: “Subcutaneous injection is much simpler and easier for patients compared with other drug administration pathways.”

The first patient at JHAH to receive elranatamab had previously undergone a bone marrow transplant and CAR T-cell therapy but relapsed after each treatment.

Elranatamab was made available to JHAH patients after thorough evaluation and approval by the hospital’s multidisciplinary Drug and Therapeutics Committee, supported by the new Oncology Center of Excellence.

Throughout, JHAH strives to stay at the forefront of medical innovation as part of its mission to provide world-class healthcare and support Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goal of developing a modern, comprehensive, patient-centered healthcare system.