A LIFE-EXTENDING breast cancer drug that has been hailed as the biggest breakthrough since Herceptin has been authorised for use in the UK.
The decision means doctors in Scotland will now be able to apply to prescribe Perjeta to their patients on a case-by-case basis via the Individual Patient Treatment Request system, pending recommendations from the Scottish Medicines Consortium about whether it should be routinely available on the NHS.
The drug has been shown in clinical trials to prolong the lives of women with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer by an average of 6.1 months without their condition deteriorating, compared to women receiving the standard treatment of chemotherapy and Herceptin.
Additionally, the combination of Perjeta plus Herceptin and chemotherapy reduces the risk of death by 34%.
David Miles, consultant oncologist at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, London, said: "Perjeta has been shown to extend survival and control cancer for longer than the current standard of care – showing a magnitude of benefit not seen since the launch of Herceptin."
James Jopling, director for Scotland at Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: "We hope this treatment is made available to all patients who could benefit as soon as possible."
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