A new breast cancer treatment has reportedly been approved for use on the NHS, marking what scientists have described as a significant breakthrough in the fight against an incurable form of the disease. The drug, known as capivasertib, is expected to benefit over 1,000 women in the UK each year who are diagnosed with the HR-positive, HER2-negative type of advanced breast cancer.

As per reports, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has approved capivasertib—also known by its brand name Truqap—for use within the National Health Service. The drug, developed by British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, is administered as a twice-daily pill and works by targeting a specific abnormal protein that causes cancer cells to multiply.

This form of breast cancer reportedly includes certain genetic mutations and can spread either within the breast tissue or to other areas of the body. The new treatment offers a way to slow or halt that progression, which could potentially extend the lives of some patients.

Clinical trial data cited in reports indicate that combining capivasertib with hormone therapy (fulvestrant) increased the time before cancer worsened by an average of 4.2 months when compared with a placebo and fulvestrant alone.

Experts from the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London have reportedly welcomed the approval, describing it as the result of decades of research and a positive step for patients facing limited treatment options.

According to NICE, many individuals living with advanced breast cancer are in need of new treatments that not only manage the disease but also delay the onset of chemotherapy and its side effects.

As per official figures, 40,192 people were diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK in 2020, with nearly 15% of those cases detected at an advanced stage. For the subset of patients with relevant genetic mutations, capivasertib is now being offered as a promising new option on the NHS.