The National Health Care Institute has advised the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) not to reimburse belantamab mafodotin (Blenrep®) in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone from the basic health insurance package. This medicinal product can be used in certain patients with multiple myeloma. The reason for this advice was the placing of the medicinal product in the so-called ‘lock procedure for expensive medicinal products’. At the present time, the price of the medicinal product is too high. Only if price negotiations lead to a price reduction of at least 61% can the medicine be reimbursed.

This advice is a corrected version of the advice of 13 May 2026, with a change to the treatment cost calculation. This has been adapted in the BIA and in the covering letter.

Current state of affairs: advice sent to the Minister

The National Health Care Institute has sent this advice to the Minister of VWS. The Minister makes the final decision on whether or not to reimburse the medicinal product from the basic health insurance package.

Belantamab mafodotin is intended for certain people with multiple myeloma

Belantamab mafodotin is the active substance. The brand name is Blenrep®. The medicinal product is an injection.

The product can be used in people with multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma is also called Kahler's disease. It is a plasma cell cancer. Plasma cells are a type of immune cells of the human body. Myeloma cells is another word for malignant plasma cells. In multiple myeloma, uncontrolled cell division of malignant plasma cells occurs at multiple sites in the bone marrow.  

This is specifically focused on adult patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma who have received at least 1 prior treatment. Relapsed means that the cancer has come back, after first having disappeared partially or completely. Refractory means that the tumour did not respond to earlier treatment.

Belantamab mafodotin is also registered in combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone for certain patients with multiple myeloma. No reimbursement has been requested for this indication.

Advice National Health Care Institute on reimbursement of belantamab mafodotin 

The National Health Care Institute advises the Minister of VWS not to reimburse belantamab mafodotin (Blenrep®) from the basic health insurance package. This is because the price of the medicine is too high at the present time. Only if the price of the medicine is reduced by at least 61% can it be reimbursed.

The complete indication for reimbursement can be found in the drop-down menu:

More information or questions?

If you have any questions about this advice, please send your question to the National Health Care Institute via warcg@zinl.nl. If you have questions about the reimbursement of a medicinal product, the personal expenses or whether you should pay a contribution, please ask your health insurance provider.

How did the advice come about?

The Scientific Advisory Board (WAR) and the Insured Package Advisory Committee (ACP) advise the National Health Care Institute when issuing package advice. The Minister makes the final decision whether or not to reimburse the medicinal product from the basic health insurance package. 

Explanation of the package lock procedure for expensive medicinal products

The Minister has placed belantamab mafodotin for this indication in the lock procedure for expensive medicinal products. A medicinal product in this lock procedure will not be eligible for reimbursement from the basic healthcare package until:

  • there is a positive package advice from the National Health Care Institute; 
  • there are arrangements and safeguards for appropriateness in place; 
  • price reductions have been successfully negotiated with the marketing authorisation holder.

For more information, see the page ‘Lock procedure for expensive medicinal products’.

This report is a summary of recommendations by the National Health Care Institute

The original text of this report is in Dutch.