The National Health Service (NHS) gave hope to the rare eye cancer patients with a new announcement.
According to Sky News, NHS officials announced that hundreds of people in England with rare eye cancer will soon have access to the “pioneering" drug called tebentafusp.
After getting approval from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), patients with uveal melanoma can now use the first-ever drug for the disease, tebentafusp, sold under the brand name Kimmtrak.
Uveal melanoma develops from cells in the middle layer of the eye called the uvea. The rare eye cancer affects 500 to 600 people every year in the UK and becomes fatal after spreading to major organs.
NICE announced on Tuesday, December 2, 2024, that patients whose uveal melanoma cannot be removed with surgery can now use tebentafusp.
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS national clinical director for cancer, said. “This type of melanoma is difficult to treat when it has spread in the body, so it is great news that the NHS can now offer this pioneering treatment giving people an option that can extend their lives and offer them valuable extra time with their families and friends.”
Moreover, patients with genetic markers would be eligible for the treatment, and after determining the eligibility through blood tests, more than 100 people will get treatment every year.
