"Life-saving" breast cancer drug to be made available in Jersey

Thursday 10 November 2022

Local patients with one of the deadliest forms of breast cancer will also be able to access a lifeline immunotherapy drug that has become available on the NHS in England this week, it has been confirmed.

Pembrolizumab is used to treat triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease which disproportionately affects under-40s, and will be offered to local breast cancel patients "who fit specific treatment criteria".

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recently approved the use of the drug - which they say can make cancer “disappear” - for up to 1,600 women in the UK.

Trials show that pembrolizumab reduces the chance of cancer progressing by almost two-fifths when used alongside chemotherapy, significantly extending a patient’s life. The drug can also cause the cancer to “disappear” before surgery, meaning women need less invasive operations.

It is delivered through a drip into the bloodstream, stimulating the body’s immune system to fight the cancer cells. The drug targets a protein on the surface of certain immune cells which acts as a “brake” on their destructive power. The treatment became available on the NHS at the beginning of this week.

Jersey's Acting Chief Pharmacist, Debbie O’Driscoll, said: “Jersey follows NICE guidelines in relation to medicines. Pembrolizumab is approved by NICE for use in people who are suffering from triple-negative breast cancer and who fit specific treatment criteria.

"Therefore, treatment is currently available where a patient meets all the conditions attached to the NICE guidance.”

Pictured: Pembrolizumab has also had clinical success in treating GTD, a rare but deadly disease that forms after one in 50,000 pregnancies.

The drug has also had clinical success in treating cancerous gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD), a rare but deadly disease that forms after one in 50,000 pregnancies. Sufferers of GTD require chemotherapy and, while most can be cured, up to 5% die.

In 2017, a clinical trial with pembrolizumab showed that three out of four GTD patients went into remission. However, it is not yet clear if the drug will also be used to treat GTD as well as breast cancer in the UK and Jersey.