NHS lung cancer patients to receive Amgen’s tumour-stopping drug
pharmafile | September 10, 2021 | News story | Medical Communications, Research and Development |
NHS patients will be the first in Europe to receive a new drug that can prevent lung cancer tumour growth, following approval by the MHRA.
The drug, Sotorasib, will be fast-tracked to NHS patients following positive data from clinical trials where it prevented lung cancer growth for seven months.
Approximately 600 lung cancer patients will be given the drug initially in England over the next few weeks after an early access deal was struck with the manufacturer Amgen UK.
Sotorasib, taken as a tablet, targets the mutation on the KRAS gene, found in a quarter of all tumours, which has become known as the “Death Star” mutation because of its spherical appearance and impenetrable nature.
Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “The UK is leading the world in rolling out new life-saving treatments so patients can access them as early as possible.
“This ground-breaking new drug which stops lung tumours growing will make a difference to people across England and boosts our efforts to get people the treatment they need.”
NHS England, NHS Improvement, and Amgen have reached a national agreement to enable early access to the drug for eligible lung cancer patients in England while NICE completes its ongoing appraisal.
NHS researchers have spent 40 years targeting the KRAS G12C mutation, and the treatment could cause a major breakthrough in battling other types of cancers, such as pancreatic and colorectal.
Professor Charles Swanton, Cancer Research UK’s chief clinician, said: “Sotorasib is one of the most exciting breakthroughs in lung cancer treatment in 20 years, targeting a cancer gene that was previously un-targetable and built on decades of laboratory research that’s unravelled cancer’s inner workings.
“This medicine expands our list of effective precision therapies in lung cancer that are helping to improve survival for patients with limited options. It’s great news that patients in England will now benefit from this novel treatment.”
Kat Jenkins
