More NHS patients to get breast cancer prevention drug

Around 5,700 breast cancer patients will now be eligible for ribociclib after NICE widened access to the combination therapy.

Ribociclib will be available on the NHS for people with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative early breast cancer, even if their disease hasn’t spread to the lymph nodes. The drug is used with an aromatase inhibitor to help prevent the cancer returning after initial treatments such as surgery.

Until now, access was limited to those whose cancer had spread to nearby lymph nodes. NICE’s updated guidance means thousands more people at higher risk of recurrence can now receive the therapy.

This marks the 25th out of 26 breast cancer treatments that NICE has recommended for NHS use in the past seven years – a milestone the organisation describes as a significant expansion of options.

Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at NICE, said: “This is fantastic news for the tens of thousands of patients and their loved ones who are now benefiting from access to cutting edge new treatments.

“It is also due in no small part to the willingness of companies to engage with us constructively, as in the case with ribociclib, to ensure the benefits of their treatments are properly presented and appropriately priced.”

Ribociclib is a targeted therapy that blocks proteins called cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4 and 6, which are involved in cancer cell growth and division.

When taken with an aromatase inhibitor – a hormone therapy that reduces oestrogen levels – clinical trials suggest the combination may extend the time before cancer returns compared with hormone therapy alone.

The treatment has been made cost-effective for the NHS through a confidential discount agreement with manufacturer Novartis.

NICE already recommends ribociclib in combination with fulvestrant for adults with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer who have previously received endocrine therapy, showing its use across multiple disease stages.