This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Gynaecological cancer treatment approved
700 women with advanced ovarian cancer are expected to benefit from NICE approving Olaparib as a first-line maintenance treatment.
The recommendation for Olaparib, a medicine that has previously been used at a later stage in the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer, affects adults with BRCA mutation-positive, advanced high-grade epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer that has responded to chemotherapy.
The use of the Cancer Drugs Fund is needed while further data is collected from an ongoing clinical trial which so far estimates that olaparib delays disease progression by around three years compared with placebo.
Meindert Boysen, director of the NICE Centre for Health Technology Evaluation, said: “The availability of olaparib tablets as maintenance therapy is an important development in the management of BRCA mutation-positive advanced ovarian cancer. Olaparib is already used for ovarian cancer but is expected to have the greatest benefit when used early, and is considered to have the potential to cure the disease in some people if given before the first recurrence.
“We are pleased that the company has agreed a commercial arrangement for olaparib that will allow it to be made available immediately to people who currently have an unmet need for maintenance treatment.”
John Stewart, NHS Director of Specialised Commissioning, said: “Olaparib has the potential to make a huge impact on the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer, giving patients a better chance of survival, and NHS England has worked closely with AstraZeneca and NICE to reach a deal that has clear benefits for those patients who would benefit, as well as industry and taxpayers.
“Providing the latest cutting-edge treatments for patients through innovative drug deals is just one way the NHS Long Term Plan will transform cancer care across the country, building on the thousands more lives already being saved thanks to improving treatment.”
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