‘Ground-breaking’ new cancer drug that extends life gets green light on NHS

HUNDREDS of breast and prostate cancer patients will be offered a “ground-breaking” drug on the NHS.

Olaparib will be dished out to Brits who are at risk of tumours returning after treatment.

Around 550 men with advanced prostate cancer and 300 women with HER2-negative early breast cancer will get the targeted therapy every year in England.

NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said: “Olaparib could have a huge impact on patients with a range of cancer types.

“Many will have a better chance of survival while those with advanced forms of the disease will be offered precious extra months to live.

“Reaching this landmark deal is incredible news for patients and their families.”

Olaparib, also known as Lynparza, is taken as a daily tablet.

Trials show it can extend patients’ lives by an average of six months.

Breast cancer patients who had chemotherapy saw their risk of the tumour returning within four years fall by nearly a third.

The NHS has negotiated a deal with AstraZeneca to supply the drug on the health service.

Each year in the UK there are more than 55,000 new cases of breast cancer, with the disease claiming the lives of around 1,500 women.

Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive at Breast Cancer Now, said: “It’s fantastic news that olaparib has now been approved for use on the NHS.

“It is a ground-breaking and potentially life-saving treatment for certain people with primary breast cancer.”

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and around 52,00 people are diagnosed with it every single year in England. 

More than 12,000 die each year. 

Chiara De Biase, of Prostate Cancer UK, said: “This is a landmark moment for prostate cancer treatment.

“This is the first targeted treatment of its kind to be approved for the disease and it finally moves us away from the old ‘one size fits all’ approach to prostate cancer treatment.”