Life-prolonging drug for advanced ovarian cancer gets go-ahead in England | Ovarian cancer
Hundreds of women with difficult-to-treat ovarian cancer can now be offered a new life-extending treatment after NHS England approved it. It is the first new drug approved for resistant ovarian cancer in more than 20 years.
Ovarian cancer is the 18th most common type of cancer worldwide. More than 300,000 women one year. more than three quarters Most patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage, making treatment difficult.
Standard treatment for ovarian cancer typically includes surgery and chemotherapy, but approximately 80% of patients with advanced disease relapse, and many eventually develop resistance to chemotherapy.
According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), folate receptor-alpha-positive platinum-resistant epithelial (FR) patientsα) Cancers have until now had limited options when their tumors don’t respond to standard chemotherapy.
Nice approved the drug mirvetuximab soravtansin for patients with epithelial ovarian, peritoneal or fallopian tube cancer that has become resistant to platinum-based chemotherapy and whose tumors contain FR.a The protein the drug targets.
NHS England said up to 400 women a year in England could benefit from the treatment, which it described as a major milestone for the treatment.
Prof Ruth Plummer, NHS England’s national clinical lead for cancer medicines, said: “This represents the most significant breakthrough in NHS treatment for difficult-to-treat ovarian cancers in over two decades – and we are delighted it will now offer hundreds of women the much-needed hope of spending precious extra time with their loved ones.”
Mirvetuximab soravtansin, known as Elahere, is administered via drip every three weeks. A. global clinical trial The study, which involved eight NHS hospitals, found the treatment delayed the progression of cancer and extended survival by an average of four months compared to receiving chemotherapy alone, with more manageable side effects. In more than a third of the patients (37%), tumors shrank by at least 30%, compared to 16% with chemotherapy.
Drug produced by AbbVie combines a ‘guided’ antibody that searches for FRa It is a protein on the surface of cancer cells and a cancer-killing molecule that destroys the cell from the inside.
Experts said the decision was a seminal moment and could significantly improve the quality of life of affected patients. Rachel Downing, Head of Policy and External Affairs at Target Ovarian Cancer, said: “This is a hugely important moment for women with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer and their families, who have faced limited effective treatment options for too long. Today’s announcement offers real hope for improving quality of life.”
Victoria Clare, chief executive of the charity Ovacome, said: “Today is a turning point. Being told platinum-based chemotherapy no longer works can bring anxiety and uncertainty, especially when the disease is at an advanced stage and time and options are limited. This recommendation is the first in over 20 years to give the ovarian cancer community an additional option at a critical stage, with the potential to make a real difference for patients and their families.”
Helen Knight, director of drug evaluation at Nice, said: “We have heard clearly from patients and clinicians that the options available at this stage of the disease are very limited and the huge burden chemotherapy places on women’s lives. We are pleased that, following a robust process and a new commercial agreement with AbbVie, we can now recommend this treatment for NHS use.”
