A breakthrough daily pill which doubles the survival time for certain lung cancer patients will now be routinely available on the NHS.
The drug Osimertinib, also known as Tagrisso and manufactured by AstraZeneca, has been approved for use alongside chemotherapy to prevent cancer from returning after surgery.
The treatment was previously available through the Cancer Drugs Fund since January 2022, but will now be permanently accessible on the health service.
The treatment targets patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Osmertinib doubles the survival time for certain lung cancer patients (file photo)
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The EGFR protein plays a crucial role in controlling cell growth and survival, with mutations common in NSCLC causing abnormal cell growth.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has confirmed that Osimertinib works by specifically targeting cells with EGFR mutations, helping to prevent cancer recurrence after surgery.
Around 600 people in England are expected to benefit from the recommendation.
Clinical trials have demonstrated remarkable results for the treatment, with median disease-free survival reaching 65.8 months for patients on Osimertinib, compared to just 28.1 months for those taking a placebo.
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The five-year survival rate showed significant improvement, with 88 per cent of patients on osimertinib surviving compared to 78 per cent of those on the placebo.
Jules Fielder, who began taking Osimertinib in 2021, shared a remarkable success story after undergoing the treatment.
Despite being diagnosed with stage four lung cancer at age 37 with no history of smoking, her response to the medication was dramatic.
“When I had my first scan after three months of being on Osimertinib, the cancer had shrunk by 90 per cent in my lungs,” said Fielder.
“And I have stayed stable since that day. And because they are tablets, we don’t have to go to hospitals and be strapped to machines.”
Osimertinib will now be made routinely available on the NHS
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Helen Knight, the director of medicines evaluation at Nice, said: “I am pleased we have been able to recommend that this targeted treatment for a specific gene mutation of lung cancer will be routinely available on the NHS.”
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS England national clinical director for cancer, called it “great news,” and said the drug was “secured at a cost-effective price for taxpayers”.
He added that the treatment “offers the chance of precious additional years of life for hundreds of people”.
Around 95 people die from lung cancer every day in the UK.
Dr Jesme Fox, medical director of Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, said it was a “misconception” that “if you get lung cancer, there is no hope”.
“That is not true at all,” she added.
“If we pick up lung cancer early, then surgery and radiotherapy are potentially curative. And we have seen many advances in the last 10 to 15 years.”
