UK approves ‘landmark’ bre.ast cancer drug

A “huge breakthrough” in bre.ast cancer treatment has arrived with the NHS approval of a twice-daily pill for the most common form of advanced disease

The drug, capivasertib (also known as Truqap), offers new hope for up to 3,000 women annually with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative bre.ast cancer harbouring specific genetic mutations and exhibiting spread.

Capivasertib, developed by AstraZeneca, targets the AKT protein, a molecule known to fuel the multiplication of cancer cells.

By inhibiting AKT’s action, the drug effectively slows or halts the progression of the disease. Clinical trials have demonstrated the drug’s efficacy, revealing that when combined with the hormone therapy, fulvestrant, capivasertib extended the period before cancer advancement by an average of 4.2 months compared to patients receiving fulvestrant and a placebo.

This translates to an improvement from 3.1 months to 7.3 months before disease progression.

The Institute of Cancer Research, London (ICR), which has dedicated decades of research to this area, lauded the NHS decision as a significant step forward.

The new drug is suitable for patients’ tumours with mutations or alterations in the PIK3CA, AKT1 or PTEN genes, which are found in approximately half of patients with this form of breast cancer.

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