Prostate cancer – About 9,000 men with one of the more advanced forms of prostate cancer will be eligible for a new one drug which extends life. It happens in Great Britain where the NHS will become the first healthcare provider in Europe to distribute the darolutamide to patients whose prostate cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
Trials of the drug have shown that the chances of living longer increase by a third in men that had not previously been treated.
The drug works by blocking androgen receptors in cancer cells, thus blocking the effect of testosterone which allows cancer cells to survive and multiply. Darolutamide (the drug is called Nubeqa), is already available on the British NHS.
Ipsos and Fondazione Pro: screening project for familial prostate cancer
The drug is usually taken in tablet form with food and in combination with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and chemotherapy con docetaxel.
The study, which took place at nearly 300 sites worldwide, found that patients who received darolutamide had 32.5% less likely to die than those given only ADT and docetaxel.
England’s NHS has said it will start offering the drug to eligible prostate cancer patients within weeks. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and around 47,000 people are diagnosed in England each year. Nearly 9,000 fall ill with aggressive prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body.
Amanda Pritchardan NHS executive, said: “It’s fantastic that UK patients will be the first in Europe to receive this treatment for a really advanced and aggressive form of prostate cancer, thanks to the rapid development of a new drug by the ‘NHS’.
Prostate cancer family history, Prof. Mirone: cultural effort is needed
Chiara De Biasedirector of support and influence at the charity Prostate Cancer UK, said: “Knowing that you have advanced stage prostate cancer can be devastating and we urgently need new treatments to help these men live longer. So it’s great that thousands of men have early access to darolutamide, alongside traditional hormone therapy and chemotherapy.which could greatly improve their survival.”
The NHS National Director for Cancer, Professor Peter Johnsonsaid: “We know that prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer among men and it is vital that the NHS continues to diagnose patients as early as possible and expand our arsenal of cutting-edge treatments to increase chance of survival”.
Lilt, the “Blue Path” against male tumors has begun
FDA approved darolutamide tablets (Nubeqa, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals) in combination with docetaxel for adult patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (#mHSPC). #pcsm #OCENewsBursthttps://t.co/MlI0hZOJwf pic.twitter.com/2N4D1E32KM
— FDA Oncology (@FDAOncology) August 5, 2022