Bolemide (Pomalidomide)

What Bolemide (Pomalidomide) is

Bolemide (Pomalidomide) contains the active substance ‘pomalidomide’. This medicine is related to thalidomide and belongs to a group of medicines which affect the immune system (the body’s natural defences).

What Bolemide (Pomalidomide) is used for

Bolemide (Pomalidomide) is used with another medicine called ‘dexamethasone’ (an anti-inflammatory medicine) to treat adults with a type of cancer called ‘multiple myeloma’. It is used in people whose myeloma has become worse, despite having received at least two other kinds of treatment, including the medicines lenalidomide and bortezomib. 

What is multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer which affects a certain type of white blood cell (called the ‘plasma cell’). These cells grow out of control and accumulate in the bone marrow. This results in damage to the bones and kidneys.

Multiple myeloma generally cannot be cured. However, treatment can reduce the signs and symptoms of the disease, or make them disappear for a period of time. When this happens, it is called ‘response’. 

How Bolemide (Pomalidomide) works

Bolemide (Pomalidomide) when used with dexamethasone works in a number of different ways:

  by stopping the myeloma cells developing

  by stimulating the immune system to attack the cancer cells

  by stopping the formation of blood vessels supplying the cancer cells.

Bolemide (Pomalidomide) when used with dexamethasone can stop multiple myeloma getting worse:

  On average, Bolemide when used with dexamethasone stopped multiple myeloma from coming back for up to 16 weeks compared with 8 weeks for those patients who used only dexamethasone.