Following the approval of a 4p daily pill as a preventive treatment for breast cancer, thousands of women will be spared the disease. The medication Anastrozole, which has been shown in tests to almost reduce the risk of breast cancer if taken daily for five years, will be available to almost 300,000 women who are at higher risk.
Protesters celebrated the decision as a “significant advancement” in the fight against the illness, which is the most common cancer in Britain, accounting for 47,000 new cases annually. Anastrozole had only been approved for use as a therapy up until yesterday; it was not a preventive approach.
NHS England said 289,000 women in their 50s and 60s at moderate or high risk of breast cancer would now be eligible for the drug. They will include women with a family history of the disease, or who have faulty genes such as BRCA1, the so-called Jolie gene, that put them at greater risk.
In England, almost 2,000 cases of breast cancer could be avoided if just 25% of people sign up and half of them finish the entire course. Additionally, it would save the NHS almost £15 million in medical expenses. The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has granted approval for the drug's licence to be extended to cover use as a preventive measure.
