Thank you for writing to me about the breast candcer drug Trodelvy, and about EDM 419.
I do not sign Early Day Motions as I have not foun them to be an effective way of achieving change. However, I understand your frustration that Sacituzumab Govitecan, also known as Trodelvy, is not yet available in our country and that is why I am pleased that we have moved closer to that point now that Trodelvy has been licensed through Project Orbis for use in the UK.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is responsible for developing guidance for individual medicines and following discussion with Gilead, the manufacturer of Trodelvy, NICE has been able to accelerate its appraisal and now expects to issue guidance in June 2022, with draft guidance expected in April 2022.
I’m delighted that breast cancer survival rates have improved remarkably over the last 40 years, with five-year survival rates for women at over 86 per cent, up from just 53 per cent in the 1970s. This is a testament to the efforts made to raise awareness of, and boost funding into tackling this disease but more must be done.
Great efforts are being made to improve cancer services and to ensure that the NHS continues to provide some of the world’s best cancer care. The NHS Long Term Plan (LTP), published in 2019, commits to improving detection, with more targeted screening and Rapid Access Diagnostic Centres, so that in 10 years’ time these measures will help achieve 55,000 more people surviving cancer each year. Further, the LTP outlines that, where appropriate, every person diagnosed with all types of cancer, including those with secondary cancers, should have access to personalised care by March 2022.
Thank you again for taking the time to write to me.