A new breast cancer drug, one of four cancer treatments approved for use by NHS Scotland, will give “life-changing hope” to breast cancer patients, and provide fresh hope for those suffering from the disease.
Breast Cancer Now said the approval of the treatment trastuzumab deruxtecan (Enhertu) ushered an “exciting new era” of treatment, reports The Independent.
Enhertu was shown to enable women with advanced breast cancer to live six months longer than others treated with conventional chemotherapy, according to Japanese drug-maker, Daiichi Sankyo, which discovered the drug before striking a deal to develop it with AstraZeneca in 2019.
The drug is among four different treatments approved in the latest round of decisions from the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC).
Trastuzumab deruxtecan is the first medicine to be licensed for this type of breast cancer, the SMC said.
The consortium accepted seven medicines for conditions including breast, skin, lung and prostate cancers as well as for psoriasis, arthritis and Pompe disease, a rare genetic disorder.
SMC chairman Dr Scott Muir said: “Trastuzumab deruxtecan is more effective than current treatments and could increase the amount of time people will be able to spend with loved ones.”
Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive of Breast Cancer Now, said: “This decision ushers in an exciting new era of treatment for people with HER2-low incurable secondary breast cancer in Scotland – providing for the first time an effective HER2-targeted treatment for this group of patients.
“Crucially, for eligible patients, Enhertu can both slow the spread of the cancer and increase survival, compared with chemotherapy.”
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
‘Practice-changing’ results for breast cancer with Enhertu treatment
Enhertu improved progression-free and overall survival in metastatic breast cancer
Significant drop in breast cancer death risk – Oxford study