THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.,
Oct. 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Amgen
(NASDAQ:AMGN) today announced the expansion of Myeloma
MVP™, a national initiative to help myeloma
patients and their care teams create their Most Valuable Plan. In
its second year, Myeloma MVP now includes an updated tool on
MyelomaExplained.com to help patients communicate with their
doctors and develop a personal strategy for managing their
disease.
Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8490254-amgen-myeloma-mvp-most-valuable-plan/
College football anchor Rod
Gilmore, who was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in
July 2016, is partnering with Amgen
Oncology as part of this year's Myeloma MVP team.
"When I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, I felt
overwhelmed," said Gilmore. "Through conversations with my
healthcare team, I quickly realized I needed a game plan to help
manage this disease, and this has made all the difference in
helping me and my family cope. I want other patients and their
families to be able to create a personal plan that is right for
them, which is why I've teamed up with Amgen Oncology on the
Myeloma MVP program."
Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer of the plasma cells, a type
of white blood cell which originates in the bone
marrow.1,2 Unlike some cancers, multiple myeloma is
characterized by cycles of remission and relapse over several
years.1 It's a complex disease that requires planning
and a team effort to navigate both in the short-term and over the
long-term.3
Studies have shown it's increasingly important for cancer
patients to participate in decision-making with their
doctors.4 Because of its complexity, patients with
multiple myeloma face unique communication challenges.5
As part of Myeloma MVP, Amgen Oncology is working to develop
tools and resources to facilitate dialogue and better collaboration
towards shared goals.
Gilmore joins baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield, and Don
Baylor Jr., who helped launch Myeloma MVP in 2018.
Together, they are honoring the legacy of teammate, father and
baseball star Don Baylor, who passed
away from multiple myeloma in 2017.
"Don Baylor was one of my best
friends. He was also a great coach and teammate who always had a
strategy and recognized the value of working as a team to face
challenges. He took that same approach off the field in dealing
with his multiple myeloma," said Winfield. "Don's experience
inspired me to work with Amgen Oncology to spread the word about
the Myeloma MVP program."
As part of the program, Amgen Oncology continues to work with
the multiple myeloma patient research and advocacy community,
including the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), the
International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) and Myeloma Crowd, to raise
awareness with patients and caregivers.
"Because of the extraordinary achievements in multiple myeloma
research, there are now more treatment options and patients are
living longer than ever before," said Paul
Giusti, president and chief executive officer of the MMRF.
"It is critically important for patients to have tools and
resources available to them so that they are empowered to take an
active role in working with their healthcare team to optimize the
management of their disease."
The Myeloma MVP guide is available at
MyelomaExplained.com and includes a tool that helps patients:
- map out their goals and preferences for managing the
disease,
- identify important questions to ask their doctor,
- and create a personal plan for managing their multiple
myeloma.
In addition to the guide, patients can also visit
MyelomaExplained.com to find educational information on multiple
myeloma.
"We are committed to helping those living with multiple myeloma
feel empowered, heard and supported," said I-Fen Chang, executive
medical director of Global Oncology at Amgen. "The Myeloma
MVP program offers tools for patients and their support teams
that can help them work together to create a personalized plan for
managing multiple myeloma."
About Rod
Gilmore
Renowned college football analyst and former
collegiate athlete Rod Gilmore was
diagnosed with multiple myeloma in July
2016. As a patient, he understands the importance of
creating and adhering to a plan to manage multiple myeloma. Rod is
also a member of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation's Board
of Directors. Through his work with MMRF and the patient advocacy
community, Rod is dedicated to increasing awareness of multiple
myeloma and encouraging patients to learn more about their
disease.
About Dave
Winfield
Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield knows the impact multiple myeloma
can have on a patient all too well. In 2017, his close friend and
former teammate Don Baylor passed
away from multiple myeloma. Together with Rod and Don Jr., Dave is
committed to helping raise awareness of this rare blood cancer.
About Don Baylor Jr.
Don Jr. is the son of Don Baylor, a
former professional baseball player and coach who passed away from
multiple myeloma in 2017. Following his diagnosis, Don worked hard
to raise awareness and funds to help fight this incurable disease.
Don Jr. has partnered with Amgen on the Myeloma MVP program
to build upon his father's work and encourage patients to create a
plan for managing their disease.
About Multiple Myeloma
Multiple myeloma is an
incurable blood cancer, characterized by a recurring pattern of
remission and relapse.1 Worldwide, approximately 160,000
people are diagnosed with multiple myeloma each year, and 106,000
patient deaths are reported on an annual basis.6 In the
U.S. approximately 130,000 people are living with the disease, and
there are an estimated 13,000 deaths each year.7 This
year in the U.S. more than 30,000 people will be diagnosed with
multiple myeloma.7 The disease typically affects people
65+ and is slightly more common among men than women.7,8
African Americans are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed
with multiple myeloma as white Americans.8
About Amgen Oncology
Amgen Oncology is searching for
and finding answers to incredibly complex questions that will
advance care and improve lives for cancer patients and their
families. Our research drives us to understand the disease in the
context of the patient's life – not just their cancer journey – so
they can take control of their lives.
For the last four decades, we have been dedicated to discovering
the firsts that matter in oncology and to finding ways to reduce
the burden of cancer. Building on our heritage, Amgen continues to
advance the largest pipeline in the Company's history, moving with
great speed to advance those innovations for the patients who need
them.
At Amgen, we are driven by our commitment to transform the lives
of cancer patients and keep them at the center of everything we
do.
For more information, follow us on
www.twitter.com/amgenoncology.
About Amgen
Amgen is committed to unlocking the
potential of biology for patients suffering from serious illnesses
by discovering, developing, manufacturing and delivering innovative
human therapeutics. This approach begins by using tools like
advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and
understand the fundamentals of human biology.
Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages
its expertise to strive for solutions that improve health outcomes
and dramatically improve people's lives. A biotechnology pioneer
since 1980, Amgen has grown to be one of the world's leading
independent biotechnology companies, has reached millions of
patients around the world and is developing a pipeline of medicines
with breakaway potential.
For more information, visit www.amgen.com and follow us on
www.twitter.com/amgen.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains
forward-looking statements that are based on the current
expectations and beliefs of Amgen. All statements, other than
statements of historical fact, are statements that could be deemed
forward-looking statements, including estimates of revenues,
operating margins, capital expenditures, cash, other financial
metrics, expected legal, arbitration, political, regulatory or
clinical results or practices, customer and prescriber patterns or
practices, reimbursement activities and outcomes and other such
estimates and results. Forward-looking statements involve
significant risks and uncertainties, including those discussed
below and more fully described in the Securities and Exchange
Commission reports filed by Amgen, including our most recent annual
report on Form 10-K and any subsequent periodic reports on Form
10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. Unless otherwise noted, Amgen
is providing this information as of the date of this news release
and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking
statements contained in this document as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.
No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual
results may differ materially from those we project. Discovery or
identification of new product candidates or development of new
indications for existing products cannot be guaranteed and movement
from concept to product is uncertain; consequently, there can be no
guarantee that any particular product candidate or development of a
new indication for an existing product will be successful and
become a commercial product. Further, preclinical results do not
guarantee safe and effective performance of product candidates in
humans. The complexity of the human body cannot be perfectly, or
sometimes, even adequately modeled by computer or cell culture
systems or animal models. The length of time that it takes for us
to complete clinical trials and obtain regulatory approval for
product marketing has in the past varied and we expect similar
variability in the future. Even when clinical trials are
successful, regulatory authorities may question the sufficiency for
approval of the trial endpoints we have selected. We develop
product candidates internally and through licensing collaborations,
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we or others could identify safety, side effects or manufacturing
problems with our products, including our devices, after they are
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Our results may be affected by our ability to successfully
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perform a substantial amount of our commercial manufacturing
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for a portion of our manufacturing activities, and limits on supply
may constrain sales of certain of our current products and product
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CONTACT: Amgen, Thousand
Oaks
Trish Hawkins, 805-447-5631
(media)
Jessica Akopyan, 805-447-0974
(media)
References:
- Jakubowiak A. Management strategies for relapsed/refractory
multiple myeloma: current clinical perspectives. Semin in
Hematol. 2012, 49 (Suppl 1): S16-S32.
- American Cancer Society. About Multiple Myeloma. Available at:
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/multiple-myeloma/about.html. Accessed
on October 2, 2019.
- Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. What is Multiple Myeloma?
Available at:
https://themmrf.org/multiple-myeloma/what-is-multiple-myeloma/.
Accessed on October 9, 2019.
- Covvey, Jordan R., et al. Barriers and Facilitators to Share
Decision-Making in Oncology: a Systematic Review of the Literature.
Supportive Care in Cancer. 2019, 27(9), 1613-1637.
- LeBlanc, T. W., et al. Review of the Patient-Centered
Communication Landscape in Multiple Myeloma and Other Hematologic
Malignancies. Patient Educ Couns.
2019, 102(9), 1602-1612.
- GLOBOCAN 2018. Global Prevalence and Incidence. Available at:
http://globocan.iarc.fr/old/summary_table_pop_prev.asp?selection=224900&title=World&sex=0&window=1&sort=0&submit=%C2%A0Execute%C2%A0http://globocan.iarc.fr/old/summary_table_pop_prev.asp?selection=224900&title=World&sex=0&window=1&sort=0&submit=%C2%A0Execute%C2%A0.
Accessed on October 2, 2019.
- National Cancer Institute. Myeloma Cancer Stat Facts. Available
at: www.seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/mulmy.html. Accessed on
October 2, 2019.
- American Cancer Society. Risk Factors for Multiple Myeloma.
Available at:
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/multiple-myeloma/causes-risks-prevention/risk-factors.html.
Accessed on October 2, 2019.
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SOURCE Amgen