Prostate cancer drug that can halve death risk to be offered to thousands in England | Prostate cancer
Thousands of men with advanced prostate cancer in England will be offered a drug that could halve their risk of death.
In guidance published on Friday, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) gave the green light to darolutamide, which attacks the disease by starving cancer cells and has fewer side effects than existing treatments.
At least 6,000 men a year with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer will have access to the new treatment, also known as Nubeqa and made by Bayer, on the NHS.
Darolutamide, taken as two tablets twice a day, works by blocking hormones that accelerate the growth of cancer. Treatment occurs alongside androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), a hormone therapy that lowers testosterone levels.
According to Nice, data show that the combination of treatments is better than using ADT alone and is as effective as other combination treatments.
Helen Knight, director of drug evaluation at Nice, said: “I am delighted that we can recommend this new combination treatment, which offers another much-needed option for people with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.
“We are determined to ensure that effective treatments such as darolutamide, which can help extend the length and quality of people’s lives, are quickly made available to people who need them.”
Treatment options for patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer where the disease has spread to other parts of the body often include ADT alone or in combination with other medications.
Trials show adding darolutamide to standard ADT It reduces the risk of death by 46 percent Compared to ADT alone, there is evidence to suggest that it is as effective as other combination treatments currently recommended by Nice and available on the NHS.
The charity Prostate Cancer UK said the new drug offers men a “gentler” treatment option with fewer side effects than ADT in combination with other treatments. This may benefit older men or those who cannot prescribe existing treatments.
Amy Rylance, deputy director of health improvement at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “Darolutamide is an important new treatment that offers thousands of men with incurable prostate cancer another effective option that could halve the risk of death.
“It’s just as effective as existing drugs, but with fewer side effects. We hope this will make it easier for more men to benefit from these treatments, because too many men are currently missing out on treatments that could extend their lives.”
“It’s great that new drugs like this are approved but it’s only the first step, so the government must ensure the new national cancer plan includes steps to ensure the right treatments get to the men who need them.”
Rylance said he was concerned that some men currently entitled to access the drug may still not be able to access it due to the “care postcode lottery” in England.
He pointed to data from a recent national prostate cancer audit showing that less than half (47%) of men with advanced prostate cancer received the latest recommended treatments.
Peter Johnson, NHS England clinical director of cancer, said: “This decision provides another welcome treatment option for patients living with an advanced and aggressive form of prostate cancer.
“With many proven treatments already available on the NHS, this approval provides clinicians and their patients with greater flexibility to choose the approach best suited to individual circumstances and clinical needs.”
