MyeSpeak Philippines, Inc.

10/08/2026

03/08/2026

Last Tuesday, July 28, MyeSPEAK Philippines and the Philippine College of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine (PCHTM) gathered at Makati Medical Center for CAR-T in Focus — a forum on one of the most promising breakthroughs in Multiple Myeloma treatment today.

The morning was filled with insights from leading hematologists and oncologists. But the moment that stayed with everyone in that room came from 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐲. 𝐉𝐞𝐦 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐨 — a blood cancer patient who traveled to Singapore to receive CAR-T cell therapy, and lived to tell her story.

She didn't just tell it. She walked in and stood at that podium herself.

__________________

CAR-T (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell) therapy works by taking a patient's own immune cells, reprogramming them, and sending them back in to fight the cancer. It's not a concept anymore, it's already happening. The US FDA approved CAR-T therapies for Multiple Myeloma in 2021 and 2022, and both have since moved into earlier lines of treatment with label expansions showing strong efficacy. More recently, clinical experts are highlighting durable responses exceeding three years in many eligible patients treated at first relapse.

Singapore is the first country in Southeast Asia to offer CAR-T commercially, including for adults with relapsed or refractory Multiple Myeloma. As of late 2025, the Singapore government even subsidizes eligible citizens up to 75% of the cost, with coverage also extending through MediShield Life and MediSave.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬? 𝐖𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐭.

Our MM patients are still fighting for access to treatments that other countries are already covering through national insurance. PhilHealth covers only a fraction of the cost of even standard therapy and CAR-T isn't even on the table yet.

That's exactly why events like this matter. And why MyeSPEAK will keep pushing.

We are grateful to PCHTM, to our brilliant speakers — Dr. Maria Clariza Santos, Dr. Marjorie Rose Bravo, Prof. Jin Lu, Dr. Alma Calavera and Dr. Flordeluna Mesina — and to our moderators Dr. Ginny De Leon and Dr. Teresa Dumagay for making this forum possible. And to Atty. Jem — thank you for sharing your journey. You reminded every patient in that room that hope is not just a feeling. Sometimes, it walks in wearing heels. 👠

The road to CAR-T in the Philippines is long.
But we're walking it. Together

21/07/2026

For anyone who might be interested in precision medicine and the future of cancer care. MyeSPEAK together with the Philippine College of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine are hosting a CAR-T Forum on Tuesday, July 28 at the Makati Medical Center Auditorium Tower 2 from 8:30 am to 2 pm.

What is CAR-T explained in simple language?

CAR-T therapy uses your own immune cells, retrains them to recognize cancer, and sends them back into your body to fight it.

Today, CAR-T is approved primarily for blood cancers, including:

* Multiple myeloma
* Several types of B-cell lymphoma (such as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, and mantle cell lymphoma)
* B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), especially in children and young adults, and some adults
* Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) with certain CAR-T products in some countries, including the U.S.

Can CAR-T be used for other cancers?

Many scientists believe this is the next frontier of cancer treatment.

What cancers are researchers studying?

Clinical trials are evaluating CAR-T for many solid tumors, including:

* Breast cancer
* Lung cancer
* Ovarian cancer
* Pancreatic cancer
* Glioblastoma (brain cancer)
* Liver cancer
* Colorectal cancer
* Gastric (stomach) cancer

In fact, 2026 marked a major milestone: China approved the world’s first CAR-T therapy for a solid tumor, targeting advanced gastric (stomach) cancer. This is widely viewed as proof that CAR-T can extend beyond blood cancers, although more evidence and broader approvals will be needed worldwide.

Unfortunately, this treatment is not yet available in the Philippines so Filipinos go to nearby Singapore or China. But local hospitals are interested to bring in the technology. It is still very expensive and only a handful of our local hematologists have the clinical experience but we need to create awareness that such a treatment option exists. I know it’s so many leaps away from our patients who don’t even get first-line treatment but we need to bring the information to people.

To dream is free and we shouldn’t lose hope for Filipino patients.

Please pm to register! Forum
Is free and slots are limited

17/07/2026

This is great news BUT please include Induction Therapy using still non-PNF included treatments called Bortezomib and Lenalidomide. These are pre-requisites to a Bone Marrow Transplant for Multiple Myeloma patients.


https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HLfR9jFRK/?mibextid=wwXIfr

The UP-Philippine General Hospital, through the support of I Want to Share Foundation, has recently inaugurated the country’s first charity Bone Marrow Transplant Unit.

It will cater to three charity beds for patients with cancer, such as leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, neuroblastoma and neurosarcoma. The new unit would be able to provide free services, including procedures and medicines, for indigent cancer patients. This serves as a testament of UP PGH’s commitment to provide accessible and world-class health care service to the Filipino people.

Photo courtesy of Dr. Tricia Alcasabas

14/07/2026

Congratulations to MyeSPEAK Board Member Dra. Flordeluna “Plong” Mesina!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19Lu8pxhuB/?mibextid=wwXIfr

A Legacy of Leadership and Excellence ✨

The Philippine College of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine (PCHTM) extends its warmest congratulations to our Immediate Past President, Dr. Flordeluna Z. Mesina, on her new appointments!

We are proud to celebrate her new roles:
> Editor-in-Chief of the Philippine Journal of Internal Medicine (PJIM)
> Editorial Board Member of Blood Global Hematology (a subsidiary journal of the American Society of Hematology)

Leadership and academic excellence have always defined Dr. Mesina’s career. Having guided PCHTM with vision and dedication, we have no doubt she will bring that same transformative leadership to these medical journals.

Your PCHTM family celebrates this milestone with you!

07/07/2026

Watch this episode of 20% by TV Maria as our President, Karen Alparce-Villanueva, and Advocate, Del O. Villanueva, share their personal experiences with Multiple Myeloma, and some pressing concerns of the MM community.

05/07/2026

27/06/2026

💡 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞?

In this snippet from The MyeSPEAK Sessions, our President and Founder, Karen Alparce-Villanueva, dives deep into how we can move from transactional assistance to consistent, long-term patient security. 🩺✨

Local organizations and grassroots community initiatives play a vital role in anchoring this sustainable support. Watch to find out how we can work together to ensure no patient faces their journey alone.

👇 Share your thoughts in the comments: 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶?

16/06/2026

🎬 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐲𝐞𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐊 𝐒𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: 𝘍𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘔𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘔𝘺𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘮𝘢 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘏: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬

Navigating Multiple Myeloma (MM) treatment is a massive financial and emotional hurdle for Filipino families. But where exactly do our national health policies stand today? 🇵🇭

In this episode of The MyeSPEAK Sessions, we sit down with Dr. Mel Santillan from PhilHealth’s Benefits Development and Research Department to look closely at the safety nets currently available, and the critical gaps we still need to bridge.

Watch the full interview to learn how patients, doctors, and advocates can collectively champion better coverage for the MM community.

📢 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘰 𝘔𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘔𝘺𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘮𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘺 𝘨𝘢𝘱𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘦!

10/06/2026

"𝐈𝐟 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐙 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐌𝐲𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨."📢

𝘔𝘴. 𝘔𝘪𝘭𝘢 𝘕𝘢𝘷𝘢, a resilient Myeloma patient and MyeSPEAK working group member, delivers a straightforward message to our government institutions: 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞.

Multiple Myeloma is a complex journey, and patients shouldn't have to fight the system just to get their treatment.

Watch the full reel in today's The MyeSPEAK Session to hear her plea for fairer healthcare in the Philippines. 🇵🇭