Ovarian cancer drug approved for NHS use will prolong lives |
A drug that can treat chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer has just been approved for use on the NHS in England. Mirvetuximab soravtansine (also known as Elahere) is the first new drug to be approved for hard-to-treat ovarian cancer in over 20 years.
In the UK, over 7,500 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year. By 2040, it’s predicted this number will rise to 9,400.
For more than 30 years, platinum-based chemotherapy has been the standard of care for ovarian cancer. But while patients generally respond well to this treatment initially, in around 70% of patients cancer recurs and they develop a resistance to treatment. Once resistance has emerged, patient outcomes are poor – with a five-year survival rate of approximately 50%.
The approval of Elahere will help hundreds of women living in England who have treatment-resistant cancer by delaying cancer progression and prolonging life.
Elahere is an antibody drug conjugate (ADC). ADCs are a relatively new class of cancer treatment that have been developed to deliver highly potent chemotherapy........