By Gloria Nosa
A new drug that slows the spread of an incurable form of breast cancer has been approved for use by the UK’s National Health Service, marking a significant step forward in cancer treatment. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) announced on Friday that capivasertib, a twice-daily pill developed by AstraZeneca and also known as Truqap, will be available to patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, a common form of advanced breast cancer.
This approval has been described by scientists as a “landmark moment” that could benefit over 1,000 women each year. Capivasertib targets cancers with specific genetic mutations that have spread within the breast tissue or to other parts of the body. By blocking an abnormal protein driving cancer cell growth, the drug aims to slow or even stop disease progression, potentially extending patients’ lives.
Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at NICE, emphasized the importance of this treatment, particularly for patients with few other options. “People with advanced breast cancer would value treatments like capivasertib that can be given when limited options exist and because it may delay the need for chemotherapy and its associated side effects,” she said.
Clinical trials showed that combining capivasertib with the hormone therapy fulvestrant delayed cancer progression by approximately 4.2 months compared to a placebo with fulvestrant. The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London, which contributed to the research that led to the drug’s development, hailed the approval as a major achievement.
“This announcement is a triumph that will improve treatment for these patients with the most common type of advanced breast cancer,” said Kristian Helin, chief executive of the ICR. “Around half of patients with this type of breast cancer have mutations in one or more genes, and for these patients, capivasertib can halt disease progression.”
In 2020, nearly 40,200 people were diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK, with approximately 15% of cases at an advanced stage at diagnosis, according to NICE.
