Fresh hope for thousands more cancer patients after ‘momentous’ approval of life-saving drug

A new drug will ‘change the lives’ of thousands of men and women after it was given the green light for breast and prostate cancer patients with the ‘Angelina Jolie gene’.

Olaparib, taken as a daily pill, targets cancers with mutations in BRCA 1 and 2 genes by preventing the cancer cells from repairing.

It had previously been rejected by NICE on cost grounds but has now been given the green light for eligible cancer patients after a deal was struck between the NHS and its makers AstraZeneca.

About 550 men with advanced prostate cancer and an estimated 300 women with aggressive breast cancer will benefit each year.

The decision has been labeled “memorable” by charities, many campaigning against the watchdog’s initial ruling that it was too expensive.

Olaparib, sold under the brand name Lynparza, is the first genetically targeted drug proven to be safe and effective for advanced prostate cancer in men with the genetic mutation.

Trials showed that it nearly doubles the time it takes for the cancer to spread compared to existing treatments, giving patients “valuable extra time with their families.”

Professor Johann De Bono, a cancer specialist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, who led clinical trials on the drug, said its approval was ‘hugely exciting’.

He said: ‘For patients with advanced prostate cancer and mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2, these recommendations will be life-changing – giving men another treatment option and precious extra time with their families, without the debilitating side effects we see with chemotherapy.’

Similarly, studies conducted on nearly 2,000 women with early-stage breast cancer and the gene mutation found that the risk of death was reduced by nearly a third (32 percent).

Those with an aggressive breast cancer, known as HER2 negative, may see their cancer return after treatment.

Up to 10 percent of women who develop breast cancer carry an inherited altered gene, which was made famous by the Hollywood actress. Angelina Jolie underwent a preventive double mastectomy in 2013 after testing positive for the mutated BRCA1 gene

But tests showed that olaparib is effective in keeping women with hereditary breast cancer disease-free after their first treatment.

Up to 10 percent of women who develop breast cancer carry an inherited altered gene, which was made famous by the Hollywood actress.

Angelina Jolie underwent a preventive double mastectomy in 2013 after testing positive for the mutated BRCA1 gene

Baroness Delyth Morgan, CEO of Breast Cancer Now, said: ‘It is fantastic news that olaparib, a breakthrough and potentially life-saving treatment for certain people with primary breast cancer, has now been approved for use by the NHS.

Today’s groundbreaking deal follows an agonizing wait since a devastating tentative rejection last November.

“Critically, olaparib can reduce the risk of people’s cancers returning or progressing to incurable secondary breast cancer and preventing people from dying from this devastating disease.”

It is part of a class of drugs called PARP inhibitors and works by preventing cancer cells from repairing their DNA by blocking a molecule called PARP, preventing them from growing and spreading while making healthy cells much less affected .

A two week course would have cost around £2,500 for a two week course, although the terms of the deal the NHS made with the manufacturers are unknown.

Usually taken as a twice-a-day pill, it is available on the NHS in England and Wales for women with advanced ovarian cancer with the gene mutations and who have stopped responding to treatment as of January 2020.

The prostate cancer approval brings the rest of the UK in line with Scotland, which has been offering the treatment since October 2021.

Professor Kristian Helin, Chief Executive of The Institute of Cancer Research, whose work has contributed to the development of the treatment, said in London: ‘This is an important development in the treatment of cancers linked to faulty BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes .

‘I am delighted that access to olaparib on the NHS, the world’s first cancer drug to target an inherited genetic defect, is being expanded to more patients in desperate need of better options.’