Women with advanced breast cancer in England will be able to benefit from a new type of immunotherapy at the NHS after a U-turn by the drug control dog.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has overturned its draft rejection of Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and said women in England can take the drug in combination with chemotherapy.
The drug can be used by patients with incurable triple negative secondary breast cancer. Its goal is to slow the progression of the disease, buying women “extra” precious time.
Delyth Morgan, executive director of Breast Cancer Now, said the measure was “absolutely fantastic news” for patients with the disease. The overall overall survival is 23 months with new immunotherapy compared to 16.1 months with chemotherapy alone.
“Following its worrying interim rejection by Nice earlier this year, the repeal of this decision now gives hope to eligible women for whom it could provide valuable extra time before the disease progresses and more months to live. and spend time with your loved ones and do what matters most to them, “he said.
Keytruda is used with chemotherapy in women with triple-negative breast cancer whose tumors express PD-L1 with a combined positive score greater than or equal to 10. They must not have had chemotherapy for an advanced disease, and may receive treatment if surgery is not possible to remove the tumor.
Nice said that after its previous rejection, the manufacturer MSD proposed that the combination of drugs should be restricted to people whose tumors express PD-L1 with a CPS greater than or equal to 10. This meant that Nice he was able to look again and pass the drug. which helps the patient’s immune cells attack the cancer.
Helen Knight, interim director of drug evaluation in Nice, said: “I’m glad the company was able to work constructively with us to find solutions to the issues highlighted in our previous guidance project. they were able to access atezolizumab, another immunotherapy recommended by Nice, now they have an important new option that can help them live longer and spend more precious time with their loved ones.
“Therefore, while our recommendation is for a smaller population for which the combination of pembrolizumab is authorized, this means that the maximum number of people with triple negative advanced breast cancer now have access to effective treatments.” .
Morgan said she hoped women with advanced breast cancer would soon be able to benefit from more options. “Despite this positive news, we now also desperately need to see progress in the Nice Trodelvy assessment, which is another drug that can prolong the lives of certain people with secondary breast cancer, which was provisionally rejected in April.” .
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Separately, a 2007 Breast Cancer Now survey of 1,77 women with breast cancer found that 44% said the disease negatively affected their body image and 25% said the same for their sense of identity.
Overall, 37% said their diagnosis worsened their mental health and self-esteem.