Canada has approved a first-of-its-kind drug for multiple myeloma, a significant advancement in the treatment of a cancer that has no cure, with patients going through repeated cycles of remission and relapse.

Myeloma is a cancer of the bone marrow and blood, easily confused by name with melanoma, which is a serious skin disease. The disease forms in plasma cells, which, when healthy, create antibodies that fight infections.

“When the infection’s gone, they should become quiet. In myeloma, it doesn’t shut off when the invader is gone, and it crosses the line to become cancerous. So it grows and grows in the bone marrow,” explains Dr. Donna Reece, one of Canada’s leading authorities on multiple myeloma.

Myeloma leads to bone destruction and often presents as fatigue and back pain, common

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