Amgen : Football Anchor Rod Gilmore Joins Myeloma MVP Team to Launch New Patient Tool

Amgen Oncology has expanded Myeloma MVP™ by teaming up with Rod Gilmore, a college football analyst and multiple myeloma patient, who joined the program to help educate patients and their support teams on the importance of creating their Most Valuable Plan. Now in its second year, Myeloma MVP includes an updated tool to help patients communicate with their doctors and create a personal strategy for managing the disease.

Rod joins baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield, and Don Baylor Jr., who teamed up with Amgen Oncology in 2018 to launch Myeloma MVP and to honor the legacy of teammate, father and baseball star Don Baylor Sr., who passed away from multiple myeloma in 2017. Together, they are working to spread awareness about multiple myeloma and empower patients and caregivers.

Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer of the plasma cells, a type of white blood cell which originates in the bone marrow. This disease is characterized by a recurring pattern of remission and relapse that typically affects people 65+ and is slightly more common in men than women.^1,2 In addition, African Americans are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with the disease as white Americans.³

This complex disease requires planning and a team effort to navigate both in the short-term and long-term. Studies have shown it's increasingly important for cancer patients to participate in decision-making with their doctors, and because of its complexity, patients with multiple myeloma face unique communication challenges in this regard. As part of Myeloma MVP, Amgen Oncology is developing tools and resources to facilitate dialogue and better collaboration towards shared goals.

We are proud to unveil the Myeloma MVP video, which showcases our spokespeople's connections to multiple myeloma and the importance of implementing a personal plan. The Myeloma MVP team will promote the campaign on social media and through national broadcast, radio and print media interviews.

To learn more about the Myeloma MVP program, visit MyelomaExplained.com, read our press release and follow @AmgenOncology on Twitter.

REFERENCES

1. GLOBOCAN 2018. Global Prevalence and Incidence. Available at: http://gco.iarc.fr/. Accessed on: October 7, 2019.

2. Jakubowiak A. Management strategies for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma: current clinical perspectives. Semin in Hematol. 2012, 49 (Suppl 1): S16-S32.

3. American Cancer Society. Risk Factors for Multiple Myeloma. Available at: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/multiple-myeloma/causes-risks-prevention/risk-factors.html. Accessed on: October 7, 2019