In a major breakthrough witnessed across the medical sector, the Niraparib drug, which can reportedly extend the life expectancy of women afflicted with ovarian cancer by over sixteen months, has received official approval from the UK government. As per reliable sources, the pill can now be prescribed in the United Kingdom, though its usage in Wales is anticipated to be approved by the NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence). It is projected that before approving the drug, NICE would be measuring the costs of the treatment as well as the effectiveness of the drug in treating patients. Reports have confirmed that any information regarding the pill is not yet available on the NHS (National Health Service) website.
As per clinical tests, women with defective tumors suppressing BRCA genes exhibited a health deterioration after twenty-one months of treatment for ovarian cancer. But according to the director of the UK cancer research, Niraparib is the first therapy of its kind which has received the license for delaying the growth of ovarian cancer in female patients irrespective of the status of BRCA genes.
It has been found that every year nearly over seven thousand women across the UK are identified for ovarian cancer and over four thousand among them die due to the ailment. Medical research has claimed that approximately eighty-five percent of female patients in the country are experiencing cancer recurrence after undergoing the treatment. Physicians and healthcare experts are of the view that licensing this drug will prove to be a boon for female patients suffering from the recurrent type of ovarian cancer.
With lower survival rates witnessed among female patients and the requirement for more advanced cancer therapies, the approval of the drug by the UK authorities is predicted to provide a relief for the entire cancer-stricken female patient base across the country, say experts.