{"id":3198,"date":"2026-05-16T15:24:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T15:24:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allesleypharmacy.co.uk\/pharmacy\/?p=3198"},"modified":"2026-05-16T15:24:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T15:24:23","slug":"new-medical-treatments-and-approvals-in-early-2026-what-patients-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allesleypharmacy.co.uk\/pharmacy\/new-medical-treatments-and-approvals-in-early-2026-what-patients-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"New Medical Treatments and Approvals in Early 2026: What Patients Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

As we move through the first half of 2026, several important updates have been made to medical treatments in the UK and other parts of the world. Below, I explain these changes in simple terms to help patients understand what these developments mean for their care. I\u2019ll cover new treatments for cancer, lung conditions, diabetes<\/a>, and rare diseases, along with expanded access to existing therapies. Remember, if any of these treatments apply to you or a loved one, speak to your doctor or pharmacist for personalised advice.nn—nn**Stomach Cancer Treatment in England**nOn May 15, 2026, England\u2019s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) announced that it will now cover AstraZeneca\u2019s drug, **Imfinzi**, as part of a treatment plan for stomach cancer that can be removed with surgery. This is called **perioperative treatment**, meaning it is given before and after surgery to help reduce the chance of the cancer coming back. The decision was made after a quick review by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which does not require a meeting. This approval is based on a large clinical trial called the Matterhorn trial, which showed that adding Imfinzi to standard chemotherapy<\/a> improved the time patients lived without their cancer getting worse by 29% compared to chemotherapy alone. Over 1,500 people in England could benefit from this treatment every year.nn—nn**New Treatments for Lung Conditions**nOn May 14, 2026, NICE also approved **Winrevair**, made by Merck & Co., for adults with a lung condition called pulmonary arterial hypertension<\/a> (PAH). PAH is a serious disease that makes it hard for the heart<\/a> to pump blood through the lungs. The drug is used alongside other treatments and is for patients who are at intermediate risk. Clinical studies showed that Winrevair improved patients\u2019 ability to exercise and their overall lung function compared to placebo. The cost of Winrevair is \u00a35,422.50 for a 45-mg vial and \u00a37,230 for a 60-mg vial, but Merck has agreed to a confidential discount to make it more affordable.nnAdditionally, on May 13, 2026, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) approved two drugs, **Spinraza** and **Evrysdi**, for people with a rare muscle disease called spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). These drugs were previously available only through special managed access agreements while more evidence was gathered. Now, NICE has decided they can be routinely prescribed. Both drugs have been shown to improve physical and mental well-being, reduce emergency hospital admissions, and help patients participate more in education, work, and social activities. Caregivers also reported better mental health and improved sleep. Spinraza is approved for both pre-symptomatic and symptomatic SMA in patients who have not responded to Novartis\u2019 gene therapy Zolgensma. Evrysdi is now also available for Zolgensma non-responders with SMA types 1, 2 or 3, as well as for pre-symptomatic cases where the gene therapy is not suitable.nn—nn**New Leukaemia Treatment in the US**nOn May 13, 2026, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA<\/a>) expanded the approval for **Inqovi**, made by Taiho Pharmaceutical, to treat a type of blood cancer called acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). This drug can now be used alongside another drug, **Venclexa (venetoclax)** (made by AbbVie and Roche), for newly diagnosed AML patients who are 75 years or older and not fit for intensive chemotherapy. This is the first all-oral (tablet) combination treatment for this group of patients. In a clinical trial with 101 patients, 42 patients achieved complete remission, with a median time to remission of two months. AML is diagnosed in about 22,720 people in the US each year, and more than half of these patients are likely unable to receive standard chemotherapy due to age or health concerns. Inqovi was first approved in 2020 to treat a related blood condition called myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), including chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML).nn—nn**New Treatment for Multiple Myeloma in the UK**nOn May 12, 2026, NICE issued final guidance to allow broader access to **Blenrep**, made by GSK, for patients with a type of blood cancer called multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the bone marrow. The drug can now be used in combination with Takeda\u2019s **Velcade (bortezomib)** and the steroid<\/a> **dexamethasone** after patients have tried one previous line of treatment. This gives healthcare professionals more flexibility to tailor treatments to individual patients. Around 6,240 people in the UK are diagnosed with multiple myeloma each year, and about 1,600 of these patients may now be eligible for this treatment option.nn—nn**New Treatment for Hard-to-Treat Bleeding Disorder in Europe**nOn May 13, 2026, Pfizer\u2019s drug **Hympavzi (marstacimab)** received expanded approval in Europe to treat a bleeding disorder called hemophilia in patients ages 12 and older who have developed **inhibitors**. Inhibitors are proteins that stop standard treatments from working. This is a difficult group of patients to treat because their bleeding is harder to control. Hemophilia affects over 800,000 people worldwide. About 20% of those with hemophilia A and 3% with hemophilia B develop inhibitors, which limit treatment options and increase the risk of uncontrolled bleeding. In a late-stage trial called BASIS, Hympavzi reduced the average number of bleeding episodes per year by 93% compared to standard treatment. The drug is already approved in the US for hemophilia patients without inhibitors.nn—nn**New Treatment for Rare Muscle Disease in the US**nOn May 11, 2026, the FDA expanded the approval of **Vyvgart** and its subcutaneous version **Vyvgart Hytrulo** to treat a rare autoimmune<\/a> muscle disease called **generalised myasthenia<\/a> gravis (gMG)** in more patients. Generalised myasthenia gravis causes muscle weakness that can affect daily activities like speaking, seeing, and moving. The expanded approval now covers all types of gMG in adults, including those who test positive for certain antibodies (anti-AChR-Ab, anti-MuSK-Ab, anti-LRP4-Ab) and those who do not have detectable antibodies. Previously, patients without detectable antibodies were often excluded from clinical trials. In the phase 3 Adapt Seron study, Vyvgart improved symptoms such as speech, vision, and physical function in patients with all types of gMG. The drug is given as an infusion or injection under the skin.nn—nn**New Treatment for Multiple Sclerosis in Children in the US**nOn May 8, 2026, the FDA approved **Ocrevus**, made by Roche, for children aged 10 and older with a type of multiple sclerosis called relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Multiple sclerosis is a disease that affects the nervous system. Ocrevus was previously available only for adults. This approval is based on a clinical trial that compared Ocrevus to Novartis\u2019 **Gilenya (fingolimod)**, which was the only FDA-approved treatment for children with RRMS until now. The trial showed that Ocrevus was as effective as Gilenya in reducing relapses and better at reducing new or worsening brain lesions. About 5,000 to 10,000 children and adolescents in the US have multiple sclerosis.nn—nn**New Alzheimer<\/a>\u2019s Treatment Option Delayed in the US**nOn May 8, 2026, Eisai and Biogen announced that the FDA has extended its review of their proposed **autoinjector initiation dose** for the Alzheimer\u2019s drug **Leqembi (lecanemab)** by three months. The new target decision date is August 24, 2026. Leqembi has been approved as an infusion to treat early Alzheimer\u2019s disease, and the autoinjector is already available for maintenance dosing. The initiation dose is the starting dose given in the first few months of treatment. The FDA requested additional information as a <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As we move through the first half of 2026, several important updates have been made to medical treatments in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pharmaceutical-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/allesleypharmacy.co.uk\/pharmacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/allesleypharmacy.co.uk\/pharmacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/allesleypharmacy.co.uk\/pharmacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allesleypharmacy.co.uk\/pharmacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3198"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/allesleypharmacy.co.uk\/pharmacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3203,"href":"https:\/\/allesleypharmacy.co.uk\/pharmacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3198\/revisions\/3203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/allesleypharmacy.co.uk\/pharmacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allesleypharmacy.co.uk\/pharmacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allesleypharmacy.co.uk\/pharmacy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}