NHS green lights ‘Trojan horse’ treatment that attacks cancer cells from inside
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NHS England to roll out pioneering cancer treatment in world first
- NHS England will be the first health system worldwide to roll out the pioneering "Trojan horse" treatment, belantamab mafodotin (Blenrep), for blood cancer patients.
- The targeted therapy has shown promising results in halting the progression of myeloma for nearly three times as long as current treatments, benefitting approximately 1,500 patients annually.
- Blenrep, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, has been approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) for use within the NHS.
- It will be available to patients whose cancer has advanced or has not responded to initial treatments.
- Trials suggest that the treatment, in combination with other drugs, delayed disease progression by an average of three years, compared to just over a year for patients taking commonly used drugs.