The Daily Telegraph

About-turn on breast cancer drug is seven-month lifeline

- By Lizzie Roberts

A BREAST cancer drug that could extend the lives of women by seven months will be available on the NHS after the watchdog reversed its decision to reject the treatment.

About 100 women a year with advanced breast cancer will be able to try a new type of immunother­apy.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) overturned its draft rejection of Keytruda, also known as pembrolizu­mab, and has said women can take the drug in combinatio­n with chemothera­py.

The drug is for women with incurable secondary triple-negative breast cancer and its aim is to slow disease progressio­n – buying patients extra time.

One clinical trial suggested the drug can give women an extra seven months to live, compared with if they just did chemothera­py alone.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin, chief executive of Breast Cancer Now, said: “Following its worrying provisiona­l rejection by Nice earlier this year, the reversal of this decision now brings hope to eligible women for whom it could bring precious additional time with loved ones.

“Despite this positive news, we also desperatel­y need to see progress on the Nice appraisal of Trodelvy, which is another potentiall­y life-extending drug that was devastatin­gly provisiona­lly rejected in April.”

The watchdog worked with Merck Sharp and Dohme, the manufactur­er of Keytruda, to resolve the issues highlighte­d in its previous draft guidance.

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