Sanofi’s Rezurock (belumosudil) has been designated for fast-track treatment of cancer patients with chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD) by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). Over the next three years, around 200 patients will receive the treatment under the Innovation Medicines Fund. cGVHD is a serious complication that affects around one-third of patients who have undergone stem cell or bone marrow transplants for blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma. The disease weakens the immune system as white blood cells in donated tissue attack recipients’ organs. Currently available treatments do not work for 50% of patients. However, the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recently recommended Rezurock as a treatment option for patients aged 12 years and older with severe cases of the disease who have not responded to two prior therapies. Results from the phase 2 ROCKstar trial showed a positive response in 75% of patients receiving Rezurock.
Rezurock is taken as a tablet once a day and works by inhibiting the proteins responsible for the inflammatory response caused by cGVHD. This allows patients to effectively manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life and daily functioning. The therapy was granted orphan drug designation by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the European Commission in 2019 for the treatment of cGVHD. It was also recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for adult and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with cGVHD after failure of at least two prior lines of systemic therapy. The fast-tracking of Rezurock by the NHS provides hope for patients living with cGVHD, offering a potentially more effective treatment option for this debilitating condition.
