The UK's National Health Service has approved AbbVie's mirvetuximab soravtansine for women with advanced ovarian cancer, marking the first new treatment option for this patient group in more than 20 years.
The targeted therapy, recommended by NICE, is for patients with epithelial ovarian, peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancers that have become resistant to platinum-based chemotherapy and express the FRα protein. It works by combining an antibody that targets cancer cells with a potent drug, delivering treatment directly to tumors while sparing healthy tissue.
The NHS estimates up to 400 patients in England will benefit annually. Trial data showed improved overall survival: 16.5 months versus 12.8 months with conventional chemotherapy, with over a third of patients achieving at least 30% tumor shrinkage.
Professor Ruth Plummer, NHS National Clinical Lead for Cancer Drugs, called it 'the most significant breakthrough in NHS treatment for these hard-to-treat ovarian cancers in over two decades.' The therapy, administered intravenously every three weeks, is available through the NHS Cancer Drugs Fund, which has provided early access to innovative treatments for over 100,000 patients.