“After a careful evaluation of clinical need, market potential and technical possibilities, we have now chosen lenalidomide for NEX-20. Lenalidomide is an excellent substance since it is, and will remain, an important drug for the treatment of multiple myeloma for many years to come. We look forward to starting the preclinical development of lenalidomide soon,” said
Globally, multiple myeloma accounts for about one percent of all cancer diagnoses and about ten percent of all diagnoses in hematological cancer (blood cancer). This corresponds to approximately 60,000 new cases of multiple myeloma each year in the US,
Patients currently treated with
“Today, compliance with lenalidomide is surprisingly low. In a study[2] of patients recently diagnosed with multiple myeloma, 38 percent were considered not following prescribed treatment, which in the long run may lead to a worsened prognosis. This is the patient group that will be our main target for the NEX-20 project,” said
“A long-acting depot formulation of lenalidomide could be an important addition to the treatment options, especially for patients on maintenance therapies who take stable dosages for quite prolonged periods of time. It could increase compliance with the treatment and, eventually, contribute to an improved therapeutic effect in specific patient populations. This project, together with NEX-18, allows
The patent for Revlimid expires in 2022, which will lead to a reduced total sales value of lenalidomide, but the sales volume will remain. The research company Global Data estimates that the market for lenalidomide even after the patent expires will be significant with sales of
“The knowledge we have built up within the company in formulation with PharmaShell® and hematological cancer is of course of great value when we now take our second project towards clinical development. In the near future, focus will be on formulation and preclinical development. We hope to be able to take the project into clinical development in 2022,” concluded
[1] Global Data Multiple Myelom forecast,
[2] H Mian et-al Clinical Lymphoma, Myeloma and Leukemia,
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