Recent advances in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) have significantly improved patient outcomes, with a range of new therapies now accessible in Australia via the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Given this, there is now a greater focus on patients’ quality of life and functional status. The ability to receive treatment at home and maximise time away from hospital-based settings is a key preference for patients receiving anticancer therapies over a prolonged period of time. Administration of oral, subcutaneous or intravenous chemotherapy at home is not new but there is an increased desire since the COVID-19 pandemic to allow access to treatment at home to disadvantaged patients who are unable to attend regular hospital visits.
Daratumumab is an effective treatment available via the PBS and is typically administered in the hospital setting or under the supervision of a healthcare professional in the community. However, there is currently insufficient evidence to support a program that would allow patients to self-administer daratumumab at home.
Dara@home is a clinical trial that will assess the feasibility and effectiveness of a program that would enable myeloma patients who have relapsed after frontline therapy to self-administer daratumumab at home after receiving appropriate training. We hope that the success of this study can provide the evidence base for wider adoption of programs to empower patients to able to self-administer their myeloma treatment at home. A successful program would potentially reduce patient hospital visits and improve their quality of life, allowing them to spend more time on what matters most, and ultimately improve patient autonomy and well-being.
STATUS
Actively Recruiting
CURRENT ENROLMENT
12 Patients
Recruitment updated as of March 2026
STUDY DESIGN
A multicentre, phase II, open-label, single-arm study
TRIAL PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS
Dr. Shafqat Inam, Ms Hayley Beer, Prof. Simon Harrison
TIME FRAME
2025-2029
PARTICIPANTS
Multiple myeloma patients eligible to receive daratumumab, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (DVd) following relapse from the first line of treatment, and are able to pass competency assessments for at-home administration of daratumumab.
SITE LOCATIONS
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC
- Alfred Hospital, VIC
- Gosford Hospital, NSW
- Wyong Hospital, NSW