Lung cancer patients in England will become the first in Europe to benefit from a “revolutionary” new drug that can halt the growth of tumours by targeting the so-called “Death Star” mutation.
The medication, Sotorasib, will be fast-tracked to NHS patients after it was proven in clinical trials to stop lung cancer growing for seven months.
The drug targets the mutation on the KRAS gene, which is found in a quarter of all tumours and is known as the “Death Star” mutation because of 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’s unravelled cancer’s inner workings,” said Prof Charles Swanton, Cancer Research UK’s chief clinician. “This medicine expands our list of effective precision therapies in lung cancer that are helping to improve survival for patients with limited options. It’s great news that patients in England will now benefit from this novel treatment.”
Initially, about 600 lung cancer patients will be given the drug in England within weeks after an early access deal was struck with the manufacturer Amgen UK. Sotorasib, taken as a tablet, binds with 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 approval by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) and Amgen have reached a national agreement to enable early access to the drug for eligible lung cancer patients in England while Nice completes its ongoing appraisal.
Amanda Pritchard, the NHS chief executive, said: “The NHS has a strong track record of securing best-value access to world-class treatments for our patients, and this lung cancer drug, decades in the making, is the latest deal landed by the health service in England which will save lives.”
NHS England recently secured several other drug deals, including a cholesterol-lowering jab expected to prevent about 55,000 heart attacks in the next three years, and Osimertinib, another lung cancer drug that aims to reduce the chance of cancer returning.
It comes as the health service continues its latest phase of its Help Us to Help You campaign, urging anyone experiencing symptoms or unusual changes – such as a persistent cough that is not Covid, coughing up blood, a lump in the tummy or breast area, post-menopausal bleeding, or unexplained weight loss – to contact their GP immediately, as these can also be signs of cancer.
