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Lung cancer patients in England will become the first in Europe to benefit from a new ‘breakthrough’ drug that can stop tumor growth by targeting the so-called ‘Death Star’ mutation.
The drug, Sotorasib, will be quickly administered to NHS patients after it has been shown in clinical trials to stop the growth of lung cancer for seven months.
The drug targets the mutation in the KRAS gene, which is found in a quarter of all tumors and is known as the “Death Star” mutation due to its spherical appearance and impenetrable nature.
“Sotorasib is one of the most exciting breakthroughs in lung cancer treatment in 20 years, targeting a cancer gene that was previously untargetable and built on decades of laboratory research that has unraveled the inner workings of cancer. “said Professor Charles Swanton, Chief Clinician of Cancer Research UK. “This drug expands our list of effective precision lung cancer therapies that help improve survival in patients with limited options. It is great news that patients in England will now benefit from this new treatment.
Initially, around 600 lung cancer patients will receive the drug in England within weeks of entering into an early access deal with manufacturer Amgen UK. Sotorasib, taken as a tablet, binds to the KRAS G12C mutation and makes it inactive, stopping cell division and cancer growth. Eventually, thousands of cancer patients are likely to benefit from the drug.
Following the approval of the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) and Amgen reached a national agreement to enable early access to the medicine for patients. eligible patients with lung cancer in England while Nice completes its ongoing assessment.
Amanda Pritchard, Managing Director of the NHS, said: “The NHS has a strong track record of providing the best value for money to world-class treatments for our patients, and this lung cancer drug in the works. in decades, is the latest UK health service deal that will save lives.
NHS England recently made several other drug deals, including a cholesterol-lowering jab that is expected to prevent around 55,000 heart attacks over the next three years, and Osimertinib, another lung cancer drug that aims to reduce the risk of the cancer coming back.
It comes as the health service continues its final phase of its Help Us Help You campaign, urging anyone with unusual symptoms or changes – such as a persistent cough that is not Covid, coughing up blood, lump in the belly or chest, postmenopausal bleeding, or unexplained weight loss – contact their GP immediately, as these can also be signs of cancer.
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