CCC’s long standing supporter AMGEN, brings breakthrough drug to NHS for Lung Cancer patients

NHS lung cancer patients will be the first in Europe to be offered a revolutionary new drug which stops tumours growing by targeting the so-called “death star” mutation.
The cutting-edge therapy Sotorasib will be fast-tracked to NHS patients after being proven in clinical trials to stop lung cancer growing for seven months.
The drug’s adoption by NHS follows a 40 year search for a treatment for the mutation on the KRAS gene, present in a quarter of all tumours, which has been dubbed the “Death Star” because of its spherical appearance and impenetrable nature.
Around 600 NHS lung cancer patients a year will be given the drug initially in England, starting in the next few weeks thanks to an early-access deal.
Sotorasib, taken as a tablet, binds with the KRAS G12C mutation and makes it inactive, stopping cell division and cancer growth.
It is the first treatment of its kind and could represent a major breakthrough in treatments for some of the world’s other deadliest cancers including pancreatic and colorectal cancers.
NHS England, NICE and manufacturer Amgen have reached an agreement to enable early access to sotorasib for eligible lung cancer patients in England on a budget-neutral basis to the NHS while NICE completes its ongoing appraisal.
Dr Tony Patrikios, Executive Medical Director, Amgen UK and Ireland, said: “Amgen’s first-in-class medicine, sotorasib, is the culmination of a 40-year quest to target this cancer gene mutation which is known to drive the growth of certain cancers. As an oral targeted therapy, this represents a new option for specific non-small cell lung cancer patients, and we are delighted to partner with NHS England to make this treatment available to those patients who may benefit from it, as quickly as possible.”