‘Watershed’ lung cancer drug Durvalumab to be made available on the NHS
A new immunotherapy drug that can quadruple the time lung cancer is kept at bay and could cure some patients is being made available on the NHS.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said the “promising” new treatment durvalumab (Imfinzi) will be made available immediately through the NHS Cancer Drugs Fund.
Made by AstraZeneca and offered to the NHS at a discounted price, the drug could benefit around 165 people in England in its first year, with more to follow, according to Nice.
The drug is for patients suffering from locally advanced unresectable non-small cell lung cancer (stage 3) who have already had another type of treatment (platinum-based chemoradiation).
Durvalumab is known as a PD-L1 inhibitor and works by helping the body’s own immune system find, fight and kill cancer cells.
In a clinical trial, patients on the drug had an average of around two years without their disease getting worse, compared with six months for those not on the drug.
Nice said between 27% and 40% of people taking durvalumab could have five years without their disease progressing.
In some cases, the drug may provide a cure, though more clinical trial data is needed, it added.
The drug will now be further evaluated on its effectiveness.
Meindert Boysen, director of the Centre for Health Technology Evaluation at Nice, said: “The Cancer Drugs Fund gives patients faster access to the most promising cancer treatments.
“We are pleased to make this exciting new option available and look forward to seeing further data on the effectiveness of durvalumab.
“After relatively few developments in the past two decades for people with this type of lung cancer, this decision will be particularly welcome to those with the condition, their families and the healthcare staff and experts working with them.”
Dr Fiona McDonald, a consultant clinical oncologist at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, who advised Nice, said: “This decision marks the biggest advance we’ve seen for a number of years in treating locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
“For our patients, it’s fantastic news. I expect to see an immediate impact on clinical practice, and for this treatment to become the standard of care for eligible patients.
“The trial on which the decision is made showed a step-change increase in survival rates and demonstrates a clear benefit of immunotherapy, given after the current standard of care.”
John Stewart, NHS England’s director of specialised commissioning, said: “Durvalumab has the potential to make a significant impact on the treatment of lung cancer and NHS England has worked closely with AstraZeneca and NICE to reach a deal to make this hugely promising innovative drug available.”
Corinne Faivre-Finn, professor of thoracic radiation oncology at the University of Manchester, said: “The availability of durvalumab is a watershed moment for lung cancer in England as it will change how we treat patients with stage 3 disease.
“Stage 3 non-small cell lung cancer is potentially curable but unfortunately with current treatments most patients will progress to advanced disease.
“Now, for the first time in 20 years, we have access to a new treatment option that has been shown to improve survival outcomes.”
Professor Charlie Swanton, Cancer Research UK’s chief clinician and lung cancer expert, said: “Durvalumab is a kind of drug called an immune checkpoint inhibitor, which works by reawakening immune cells in the tumour so that they can recognise and attack mutated proteins on the surface of lung cancer cells.
“Stage 3 non-small cell lung cancer accounts for approximately 20% of new lung cancer diagnoses each year.
“Around half of these newly diagnosed patients would have tumours that could be targeted by this drug.”
He said around 300 to 500 patients per year could potentially be eligible for treatment with durvalumab.
The drug is given intravenously every two weeks.
A 500mg vial has a list price of £2,466 but a discount has been agreed with the NHS.
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