United Kingdom
According to Dr. Faith Davies from the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, both subcutaneous as well as weekly Velcade are being used in the U.K.
“Following the publication of the subcutaneous data, hospitals are putting the new route of administration through their hospital Drugs and Therapeutics Committees to get approval to switch delivery method,” said Dr. Davies. She indicated, however, that some hospitals may require official approval of the subcutaneous route of administration before it can be used.
“From a patient’s perspective, [subcutaneous administration] will hopefully make delivery a more pleasant experience (no need for intravenous access, no need for hydration, quicker delivery, and fewer side effects),” she added. “Importantly, hopefully the neuropathy side effects will be decreased, enabling patients to tolerate the drug longer and thus benefit from better and longer remissions.”
Read the full Myeloma Beacon article - http://www.myelomabeacon.com/news/2011/09/02/subcutaneous-velcade-bortezomib-information-for-multiple-myeloma-patients/
If I go back onto the Velcade next week I will ask about this.
YAY! Oh, wait that probably means stomach - I need to do some crunches just in case. ;D
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