The decision to offer the product for acute myeloid leukaemia patients with the FLT3-ITD mutation follows a cost-effectiveness assessment by NICE. Credit: Nemes Laszlo/Shutterstock.

The National Health Service (NHS) England has announced the routine commissioning of Daiichi Sankyo‘s quizartinib for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patients with the FLT3-ITD mutation.

The decision, facilitated by the Cancer Drugs Fund, will enable immediate access to the life-extending daily tablet, which has been shown to improve remission and survival rates significantly.

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The treatment, now available for prescription, is intended to be used in conjunction with chemotherapy for newly-diagnosed adult patients and may be continued as a maintenance treatment for up to three years to minimise the relapse risk.

For patients showing significant improvement following quizartinib treatment, a stem cell transplant will be offered.

For those ineligible for stem cell transplants, the tablet could still offer a substantial benefit by prolonging life.

The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency previously confirmed the asset’s safety and efficacy, citing a median overall survival of 31.9 months with quizartinib against just 15.1 months in the placebo arm.

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Quizartinib works by specifically inhibiting the enzyme that drives uncontrollable cell growth in the bone marrow associated with AML with the FLT3-ITD mutation.

NHs England’s decision to offer the product follows a cost-effectiveness assessment by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which endorsed its use after Daiichi Sankyo proposed a reasonable price.

NHS Cancer national clinical director Professor Peter Johnson stated: “It’s very good news that patients with this type of leukaemia now have an option that helps their chemotherapy to work better, boosting their chance of remission and long-term survival and offering them precious extra time with their families and friends.

“People who have acute myeloid leukaemia and the specific FLT-3 ITD abnormality will be able to take this oral treatment, quizartinib, which the NHS has fast-tracked.

“The NHS in England has an enviable track record of making innovative treatments available and this is the latest in a long list of new cancer drugs to help people live with and beyond cancer, making life-changing differences to people affected by cancer and their families across the country.”