Halfmoon man says newly approved blood cancer drug is giving him more time with loved ones
HALFMOON, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A Halfmoon husband and father nearly lost his life to blood cancer. But he says a newly approved drug has not only saved his life, it is offering him more time to be with his loved ones.
Twelve years ago, Chris Greklek, of Halfmoon, was in the prime of his life.
“I was an Ironman triathlete, marathon runner. I was very active in coaching my kids.”
Being in such great shape, he could not understand why he he felt so bad.
“I started getting sicker and sicker, and actually, I was on a business trip, and I coughed so hard and gave myself my first compression fracture in my spine,” said Chris.
He saw his doctor, who referred him to a hematologist, who eventually diagnosed Chris with end-stage 3 Multiple Myeloma.
“I asked how many stages there were, and I was somberly told three. I literally had no rope to run out of.”
“I never thought in a million years I would have seen my father at 40 years old walking around with a walker or something to help him walk,” said Chris’s son, Taylor.
Multiple Myeloma is the second most common blood cancer in the U.S. Twelve years ago when Chris was diagnosed, there were only a few treatments available. Thanks to research and clinical trials, there are now many more treatments. One drug recently granted accelerated approval by the FDA is proving to be a game-changer.
“Belantamab Mafodotin, or Belamaf, is an antibody drug conjugate that that targets a protein called BCMA.”
Dr. Sagar Lonial, of Emory Univeristy Hospital, was one of the lead researchers on the global clinical trial.
BCMA stands for “B Cell Maturation Antigen”, which is a protein on the surface of most myeloma cells.
Dr. Lonial added, “And what an antibody drug conjugate really does is bring in an antibody that has chemotherapy hooked on to the back of it. So it is a way of delivering a very targeted-wise specific chemotherapy.”
Dr. Lonial says it’s the first time they have been able to use this targeted approach against multiple myeloma.
He says patients like Chris, who participated in the trial in 2016 through Dana-Farber Cancer Center in Boston, are a great example of what clinical trials can offer.
“Because this patient likely didn’t have four years of survival available with the things that were out there.”
Chris says, after 16 doses of the drug, he went into remission. He speaks on behalf of the manufacturer about the success he has had with Belamaf. As a patient, he pushed for early approval of the drug, which Dr. Lonial said happened earlier this month.
“I’ve been able to experience so many more moments with my friends and family, especially my children. And I am hoping that continuing to conquer this disease it will allow me more moments in the future,” said Chris.