5-year survival rate for Korean multiple myeloma patients nearly doubles, yet access to new treatments still limited: IQVIA

As multiple myeloma cases rise in Korea, largely due to better diagnostics and an aging population, a new white paper published by IQVIA Korea on Monday sheds light on the challenges and opportunities in treating this rare form of blood cancer that develops in plasma cells in the bone marrow.

The white paper, titled "The Advent of Novel Treatment Options for Multiple Myeloma: A Critical Juncture for Multiple Myeloma Patients in South Korea," revealed both the progress made and the significant gaps that remain, particularly around access to life-saving therapies.

Multiple myeloma, once associated with low survival rates, has experienced significant advancements in treatment options over the past few decades. What began as rudimentary chemotherapy has evolved into more sophisticated combination therapies, incorporating proteasome inhibitors, immunomodulators, and now, cutting-edge drugs like anti-CD38 monoclonal antibodies and B cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-targeted immunotherapies. 

Despite these advances, Korea still lags behind other developed countries in survival outcomes. The five-year survival rate has improved dramatically—from 30 percent in the early 2000s to 51 percent in recent years—but it remains lower than the nearly 60 percent seen in countries like the U.S., where access to innovative therapies is less constrained.

IQVIA’s report stressed that half of the multiple myeloma drugs recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) are not covered in Korea, limiting options for patients at critical stages of the disease.

One study involving over 11,000 multiple myeloma patients in Korea between 2010 and 2019 showed that 50 percent of those receiving first-line treatment eventually required a second-line therapy, with 20 percent progressing through four or more lines of treatment. As the disease advances, however, treatment response diminishes, a pattern that IQVIA warns makes early and effective intervention all the more crucial.

“For patients in the early stages of multiple myeloma, access to the right treatment, at the right time, could make the difference between a manageable disease and one that quickly becomes life-threatening,” an IQVIA representative said, noting that patients who fail to move to subsequent treatment stages face increasing challenges at each step.

The drug market research firm added that the results of its forecasting research show the dramatic difference that the introduction of new therapies can make. For instance, introducing anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody therapy as a first-line treatment for multiple myeloma in Korea could prevent 968 deaths and delay disease progression in 2,434 patients between 2024 and 2028. This mirrors a 23 percent decrease in multiple myeloma mortality observed in the U.S. from 1995 to 2018, attributed to the availability of innovative treatments.

The white paper also discussed the promising results from clinical trials involving anti-BCMA chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, which has shown high response rates and sustained complete remission for at least 12 months in patients with relapsed and refractory disease.

Experts argued in the white paper that Korea needs greater access to dual antibody and CAR-T therapies to improve outcomes for its patients.

Dr. Ee Min Tan, senior consultant at IQVIA and author of the report, emphasized the need for increased healthcare investment, policy reforms, and clearer insurance policies to facilitate faster access to these treatments. "If Korea establishes treatment guidelines based on the latest real-world evidence and includes input from both patients and experts in the health technology assessment process," he said, "the early introduction of new therapies could significantly improve survival rates and quality of life for multiple myeloma patients."

The full white paper is available in the IQVIA Content Library.