First prostate most cancers drug that may be taken at house will get inexperienced mild
Thousands of men with advanced prostate cancer are set to benefit from the first at-home treatment in what has been hailed a ‘major advance’ for the disease.
Relugolix has been given the go-ahead on the NHS, potentially helping 40,000 men with advanced hormone sensitive prostate cancer.
Unlike similar drugs which must be given as injections, the pill can be taken from home – sparing men from gruelling hospital trips.
Last night, experts said it will be a ‘gamechanger in terms of men’s experience of treatment’ while keeping the disease in check.
Known by brand name Orgovyx, trials found it also lowers the risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems linked to this type of treatment.
Relugolix has been given the go-ahead on the NHS, potentially helping 40,000 men with advanced hormone sensitive prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is the most common male cancer, with more than 52,000 diagnoses and 12,000 deaths ever year. Relugolix, also known by brand name Orgovyx, tackles the disease and also lowers the risk of treatment-related heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems
An androgen therapy, it works by blocking the production of testosterone which prostate cancer needs to grow.
It is expected to be available to patients on the NHS within three months of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) final draft guidance being published.
Last night, Prostate Cancer UK said it was ‘fantastic news’ for patients, providing a more convenient and comfortable treatment for thousands of men.
Amy Rylance, assistant director of health improvement at the charity, said: ‘This drug can not only help keep the cancer at bay but could be a game changer in terms of men’s experience of treatment.
She added: ‘Even better, trials suggest it has a lower risk of heart problems sometimes associated with these sorts of treatments.
‘All this makes it a major advance on what came before, and we’re pleased to see so many men getting access to kinder, effective treatments like this one.’
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men, with more than 50,000 new diagnoses and 12,000 deaths annually.
Patients with the advanced forms of prostate cancers are usually offered hormone therapies, surgery or radiotherapy.
Made by UK-based Accord, evidence suggests relugolix is better at reducing testosterone to levels that stop cancer growth in the longer term than the alternative, leuprolide.
It comes as a landmark prostate cancer screening trial, called Transform, is getting underway in the UK, with a national screening programme likely to follow.
Transform will test the effectiveness of diagnosis techniques including MRIs when compared to the current standard, prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test.
The Mail has campaigned on improving prostate cancer outcomes for more than two decades.
Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at NICE, described it as an ‘innovative and effective treatment’ for prostate cancer.
She said: ‘Relugolix provides a convenient and flexible treatment option compared with therapies that need to be injected, helping people to avoid travel and time off work and the evidence shows it can improve people’s quality of life.’
