Hundreds of women with hard-to-treat ovarian cancer in England will now have access to a new life-prolonging treatment, after NHS England approved the drug mirvetuximab soravtansine, known as Elahere. It is the first new medication for chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer to be approved by the NHS in more than two decades.
The drug is intended for patients with folate receptor-alpha-positive platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian, peritoneal or fallopian tube cancer, whose tumours have stopped responding to platinum-based chemotherapy and carry the FRα protein targeted by the treatment. NHS England has said up to 400 women a year could benefit, describing the decision as a major milestone.
Elahere, manufactured by AbbVie, is administered intravenously once every three weeks. A global clinical trial involving eight NHS hospitals found that the treatment delayed cancer progression and prolonged survival by an average of four months compared with chemotherapy alone, with more manageable side-effects. Tumours shrank by at least 30% in over a third of patients (37%), against 16% for chemotherapy.
The drug works by combining a homing antibody that seeks out the FRα protein on cancer cells with a cancer-killing molecule that destroys the cell from within. Experts have welcomed the approval as a significant step for patients who have faced limited options.
Prof Ruth Plummer, NHS England’s national clinical lead for cancer drugs, called it “the most significant breakthrough” in treating these hard-to-treat ovarian cancers in over two decades. Charities also voiced support, with Rachel Downing of Target Ovarian Cancer calling it “a hugely important moment”, and Victoria Clare of Ovacome describing the recommendation as “a landmark moment”. Helen Knight of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence said the decision followed a robust process and a new commercial arrangement with AbbVie.
