A NEW treatment has been approved for Scots battling cancer.
The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC), a part of NHS Scotland, has approved Zynlonta for the treatment of two types of blood cancer.
The drug, also called loncastuximab tesirine, is to be used when other treatment options for large or high-grade B-cell lymphoma have failed.
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SMC chair Dr Scott Muir, said: “Loncastuximab tesirine offers another treatment option for patients with certain types of blood cancers who have already received two lines of treatment and have very few treatment options."
Created by Swiss firm ADC Therapeutics, Zynlonta uses monoclonal antibodies to fight the blood cancers.
The drug is very new, having only been approved for medical use in the EU since December 2022.
The SMC approved three other drugs in an advice memorandum, while rejecting one.
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Dupixent, also called Dupilumab, has been approved for the treatment of adults with prurigo nodularis, a rare skin condition which causes intense itching and lumps.
The drug is the first treatment licensed for targeting the condition.
Another treatment for a skin condition, Cosentyx, was also approved for adult patients.
Also called Secukinumab, the drug is used for treating hidradenitis suppurativa, a long-term condition that causes abscesses and scarring on the skin.
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The consortium also approved Kapruvia, also known as Difelikefalin, for the treatment of dialysis-related chronic itchy skin.
Cabometyx, or Cabozantinib, was rejected as a treatment for a rare kind of cancer called differentiated thyroid carcinoma.
Dr Muir said: “The committee was not able to accept cabozantinib for treating adults with advanced thyroid cancer as the evidence provided by the company was not strong enough.
"We would welcome a resubmission addressing the clinical and cost uncertainties that we have raised.”
The SMC, a component of Healthcare Improvement Scotland, is tasked with evaluating new drugs for widespread use on NHS Scotland.
The consortium evaluates potential new drugs on a range of factors, including efficacy in treatment and efficacy compared to current treatments.
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