A powerful drug proven to stop prostate cancer spreading to other organs could be available by Christmas this year, reports suggest.
The Enzalutamide drug, which would be taken once-a-day, has been found to significantly extend the lives of prostate cancer patients by up to 18 months.
Drugs company Astellas has submitted an application asking for the permission from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to bring the drug to market.
Following initial research into the drug earlier this year, professor Johann de Bono from The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), The Royal Marsden Hospital said in a statement: “The trial showed that enzalutamide was not only keeping men alive for longer, but for some it was also improving their quality of life.
“Some patients had been reporting significant pain and so this result is very pleasing. The success of this trial could give doctors a valuable new treatment option, which is sorely needed as men with advanced prostate cancer have few therapies available to them.”
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If the drug is approved, health experts claim that it could be as big a breakthrough for treatment as Herceptin (antibody therapy that targets aggressive tumours) has been for treating breast cancer.
Dr Gerhardt Attard from the ICR believes that it could be a matter of months before the drug is approved by the National Institute for Health and Excellence (NICE) but warned it may not be widely available on the NHS, reports the Telegraph.
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Owen Sharp from Prostate Cancer UK said in a statement: "We urge local health authorities in England and Wales to waste no time in putting in place the necessary arrangements to ensure men with advanced prostate cancer can access this drug without delay."
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