Breast cancer remains the most common cancer in England, with 47,000 people being diagnosed each year. However, Thanks to a pioneering Medicines Repurposing Programme led by NHS England, a preventive option for women has come up.
Anastrozole, an aromatase inhibitor, has been used for many years as a breast cancer treatment. It was first recommended as a preventive option by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in 2017, however has only recently been licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) as a preventive option. With this license, it is now predicted that around 2,000 cases of breast cancer could potentially be prevented in England, while saving the NHS around £15 million in treatment costs.
NHS chief executive, Amanda Pritchard, said: “It’s fantastic that this vital risk-reducing option could now help thousands of women and their families avoid the distress of a breast cancer diagnosis…we hope that licensing anastrozole for a new use today represents the first step to ensuring this risk-reducing option can be accessed by all who could benefit from it.”
The NHS chief executive hopes that greater access to anastrozole could enable more women to take risk-reducing steps if they’d like to, helping them live without fear of breast cancer. This mirrors the experience of Lesley-Ann Woodhams, 61 year old woman who was offered anastrozole for the prevention of breast cancer due to being at increased risk of developing the disease. After completing the full five-year course, she said “Anastrozole reduces my risk of developing breast cancer, meaning I could live a life without constantly worrying or giving a thought to what could be if I’d developed breast cancer. It really was a gift, it gave my family and myself peace of mind and more importantly, a continued future to look forward to. I’m grateful for every day I took this drug – it was life-changing.”
This life changing 1mg tablet has led to more women surviving the disease than ever before in England - a nation with 47,000 people being diagnosed each year.
Health Minister, Will Quince, said: “Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK so I’m delighted that another effective drug to help to prevent this cruel disease has now been approved…This is a great example of NHS England’s innovative Medicines Repurposing Programme supporting the development of new ways for NHS patients to benefit from existing treatments.”
Source: NHS England. "Tens of thousands of women set to benefit from ‘repurposed’ NHS drug to prevent breast cancer". https://www.england.nhs.uk/2023/11/tens-of-thousands-of-women-set-to-benefit-from-repurposed-nhs-drug-to-prevent-breast-cancer/. 7th Nov, 2023. [Date accessed: 14th Nov, 2023].
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