Multiple myeloma accounts for 15 per cent of all blood cancers and in recent years, its prevalence has risen sharply and is set to continue to increase by 67 per cent over the next 20 years.1,2
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The relapsing-remitting nature of myeloma — where each relapse becomes harder to treat — places an increased demand on patients, caregivers, and the healthcare system.2 In England alone, myeloma is estimated to cost the NHS £209.2m annually.1
Addressing this is essential for enhancing patient care, alongside easing the economic burden on an already strained healthcare system.
Calculating the impact on the NHS
The true cost of myeloma is more than a medical issue; it is a societal challenge that strains resources, diminishes productivity, and affects lives at every turn.
At Johnson & Johnson (J&J), we recently commissioned research in England, which revealed the main costs of myeloma stem from delayed diagnosis, repeat hospital visits, and the management of comorbidities, which are worsened by the disease’s relapsing nature.1 In 2022-23, myeloma accounted for 200,000 in-hospital admissions, costing the NHS approximately £130m.1 The most common comorbidities — chronic kidney disease, sepsis, pneumonia, and renal failure — have added more than £100m to the bill over the past five years.1
Additionally, recent research by Myeloma UK revealed almost one-third of blood cancers are diagnosed through emergency settings, with the average time from first symptom to diagnosis being 163 days – one of the longest of any cancer.3 This often leads to advanced disease stages, increased comorbidities, and longer treatment pathways.
Calculating the impact on society
The estimated loss of productivity associated with myeloma comes to nearly £42m annually, with around 1.3 million working days lost to treatment, recovery, and caregiving.1 While not all myeloma patients are unable to work, the disease can be challenging depending on the individual’s circumstances, and the mental health impact can also necessitate time off.4 Timely access to the right treatment can help keep patients healthy and slow disease progression, allowing them to participate in society and contribute to a thriving economy.
How can we address this?
Earlier diagnosis: Research shows that earlier diagnosis of myeloma can save the NHS up to £30,000 per patient.5 Expanding non-symptom specific pathways (such as rapid diagnostic centres) can reduce the time to diagnosis, minimise disease progression, and lower overall treatment costs.
Community-based care: To facilitate patient care for the forecasted increase in myeloma patients, the NHS should consider shifting non-complex treatment delivery to community settings.
By establishing minimum standards for community-based models of care, there may be opportunities to ease secondary care burdens and improve access to care, while meeting the government’s desire to shift care to the community. This model has been trialled in Nottingham, where a pharmacy and nurse-led myeloma treatment clinic delivered more than 500 appointments, saving more than 5,000 minutes of consultant time to manage more complex cases.6
Policy-level reform: The life sciences ecosystem is highly interconnected and needs to operate as a virtuous cycle, with generation, production, investment in, access to, and uptake of innovation as the key driving forces.
Our recent evidence-based analysis highlights that there is a particularly urgent need to modernise how the latest innovative treatments in myeloma are evaluated, to ensure timely access for patients, through greater collaboration between the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, system governing bodies, industry, patient organisations, and healthcare professionals. Working with more than 20 data partners, J&J analysed the largest cohort of European multiple myeloma patients to date, to increase our collective understanding of haematological malignancies and ultimately, improve patient outcomes. Findings demonstrated that in France and Germany, patient survival improved in line with the availability of innovative therapies; but in the UK and the Czech Republic, which have greater barriers to accessing innovative therapies, there was limited survival benefit over time.7
The government’s forthcoming NHS 10-Year Health Plan and national cancer plan for England, however, present clear opportunities to ensure measures for blood cancers, like myeloma, are appropriately prioritised nationally – and could ultimately drive equitable access to innovative medicines for patients in the UK.
Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access, and Growth (VPAG): While the UK healthcare system and NHS has much to be proud of over its 77-year heritage, the UK’s valuation of medical innovation has remained fundamentally challenging for the last 25 years, making it difficult for patients to access the latest medicines. This already-challenging access environment in the UK is compounded by a skyrocketing VPAG rate, which is compromising product launches, investment in R&D, and manufacturing. As such, adjustments are urgently needed to bring rates back into line with international comparators, and the upcoming review of VPAG in autumn 2025 will mark a key opportunity in which this could be achieved.
Building a better future for myeloma
At J&J, we strongly believe the economic burden of myeloma is not insurmountable. By prioritising early diagnosis, expanding access to treatments, and enhancing community care, we can work together to reduce its toll on patients, the NHS, and society as a whole. The 10-Year Health Plan, national cancer plan for England, and the upcoming review of VPAG, are all real opportunities to transform the outlook for myeloma patients, paving the way to building a healthcare system better equipped to meet the needs of those affected.
References
1 Janssen. Data on File. RF-289580. December 2023.
2 Myeloma UK. What is Myeloma? Available at https://www.myeloma.org.uk/understanding myeloma/what-is-myeloma/. Last accessed May 2025.
3 Myeloma UK. A life worth living. Available at https://www.myeloma.org.uk/library/a-life-worth-living/. Last accessed May 2025.
4 Myeloma UK. Ask the Nurse: Myeloma and work. Available at https://www.myeloma.org.uk/library/ask-the-nurse-myeloma-and-work/. Last accessed May 2025.
5 Myeloma UK. Driving diagnosis: Myeloma UK partners with Costello Medical to highlight the cost of delayed myeloma diagnosis. Available at https://www.myeloma.org.uk/news/driving-diagnosis myeloma-uk-partners-with-costello-medical-to-highlight-the-cost-of-delayed-myeloma-diagnosis. Last accessed May 2025.
6 J&J. The economic burden of multiple myeloma in England: healthcare and societal costs. Available at https://static.innovativemedicine.jnj.com/8c/bd/95f8fcff4580b023c187b52daa4a/policy-report the-economic-burden-of-multiple-myeloma-in-england.pdf. Last accessed May 2025.
7 Ruckert at al. Evolution of Treatment Patterns and Survival Outcomes in European Patients With Multiple Myeloma From 2012-2023 Through the HONEUR Federated Data Network. Oral presentation. American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting; December 7-10, 2024
CP-500551 | May 2025
