Breast cancer patients in Scotland set to receive fast-acting tumour-blasting drug

A breast cancer drug that can blast away tumours in weeks has been given the green light for NHS patients in Scotland, raising hopes that the rest of the UK will soon follow suit.

 

Last October, England’s prescribing watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) failed to recommend the medication, tucatinib, even though it had shown significant promise for women with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer, a form of the cancer that is difficult to treat.  The body had raised technical concerns about the way the drug had been studied.

 

However, last week the Scottish Medicines Consortium announced it would fund the medication for women who had failed to respond to other drugs and had seen their cancer return.

 

The decision came shortly after new trial results were unveiled showing that tucatinib, in combination with Herceptin and chemotherapy, held the disease at bay for longer and also increased survival time.

 

The drug has also been shown to be highly effective in targeting tumours that appear in the brain, and experts are now studying whether prescribing the tablets to early-stage HER2-positive patients may prevent the disease from spreading there, as it does in 50 per cent of cases.

 

Dr David Cameron, study leader and professor of oncology at Edinburgh University, said “This is potentially a game-changing treatment for the many patients who desperately need it.”

 

Chadwick Lawrence’s specialist team of clinical negligence lawyers have years of experience in medical negligence claims, providing support and guidance after life-changing events.  Not only do we represent clients in Yorkshire, but because of our reputation we also represent clients nationally.

 

If you believe that you or a relative may have been injured as a result of clinical/medical negligence, please call for free legal advice from our medical negligence solicitors on the freephone number below.

 

Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

 

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