Breast cancer drug costing just 4p a day halves risk of women getting disease

07 November 2023 , 00:01

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The new 'remarkable' breast cancer pill (Image: Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF)

Hundreds of thousands of women at risk of breast cancer will be offered a daily pill to halve their chances of getting the disease.

Anastrozole, an existing drug costing just 4p a day, has been repurposed by the NHS after trials found it could slash cancer risk for almost 300,000 people at greater risk due to factors such as family history.

NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said: “It’s fantastic that this vital risk-reducing option could now help thousands of women and their families avoid the distress of a breast cancer diagnosis. Allowing more women to live healthier lives, free of breast cancer is truly remarkable.”

If only a quarter of those eligible chose to take anastrozole, which has been used for many years as a breast cancer treatment, NHS England estimates it would prevent 2,000 people from developing the disease. Ms Pritchard added: “We hope that licensing anastrozole for a new use represents the first step to ensuring this risk-reducing option can be accessed by all who could benefit.”

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Around 4% of women aged 50-69 are thought to be at increased risk of breast cancer – or 289,000 women. NHS England set up the Medicines Repurposing Programme in 2021 to repurpose existing drugs found to work for different diseases or in different ways. Drugs already proven to be safe can quickly be made available rather than taking years to go through trials.

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Ms Pritchard said the programme was “world-leading”. Breast cancer remains the most common cancer with 47,000 people being diagnosed each year in England. Anastrozole has today been granted a new indication by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency as a preventive option for women at increased risk, including those with a significant family history of the disease.

The expected rollout in England is expected to save the NHS around £15million in treatment costs. Health Minister Will Quince said: “I’m delighted that another effective drug to help to prevent this cruel disease has now been approved.”

Baroness Delyth Morgan, Chief Executive of Breast Cancer Care and Breast Cancer Now (Georgia Tilley [email protected])

Anastrozole is taken as a 1mg tablet, once a day for five years. It works by cutting down the amount of the hormone oestrogen that a patient’s body makes by blocking an enzyme called aromatase. Common side-effects include hot flushes, feeling weak, joint stiffness and nausea. Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive at Breast Cancer Now, said: “The extension of anastrozole’s licence as a risk reducer is a major step forward.”

Martin Bagot