Thousands of men are expected to benefit from a new prostate cancer drug approved for use by the NHS.
The National Institute for Health and Excellence in Care (Nice) has recommended enzalutamide as an option to treat certain types of disease.
Prostate Cancer UK said the news was welcome to thousands of men, especially those who cannot undergo chemotherapy.
The drug was used during the pandemic as a so-called “COVID-compatible” cancer drug, which patients can take at home instead of needing intravenous drugs at a healthcare facility.
From now on, the new Nice orientation project should allow wider use.
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The guide says the drug, also known as Xtandi and manufactured by Astellas, can be used with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), as an option to treat hormone-sensitive metastatic prostate cancer in adults.
Angela Culhane, Managing Director of Prostate Cancer UK, said: “This is fantastic news for thousands of men with advanced prostate cancer, especially those with other diseases that make them unsuitable for it. chemotherapy.
“It finally guarantees them access to a treatment just as effective as chemotherapy and can give them back precious time with their families.
It is estimated that 8,500 men will be able to access the drug, which works by blocking the effect of the hormone testosterone on prostate cancer cells.
Without testosterone, prostate cancer cells cannot grow, even if they have spread to other parts of the body.
Clinical trials have shown that treatment increases the time until the disease gets worse and how long people live.
Meindert Boysen, Deputy Director General and Director of the Center for Health Technology Assessment in Nice, said: “Enzalutamide plus ADT offers another option for people with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, especially for people who …
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-06-07 23:26:00
