Hope rises for cancer patients as new drug proves potency.
2 min read
If the reports Umuaka Times is getting from her London correspondents are anything to go by, Nigerian women including those from Umuaka can now take a breath of relief as a new cancer drug has shown maximum efficacy in killing cancer cells.
Some years ago, around 2021, an anti-cancer drug known as NUC-7738 was said to have potency in killing cancer cells. According to a document Umuaka Times obtained from a highly dependable source last week, “A new drug, NUC-7738, derived from a Himalayan fungus, shows promise in cancer treatment, demonstrating a high potency for killing cancer cells with limited side effects. It’s derived from Cordycepin, a naturally occurring compound found in the fungus, and was shown to be 40 times more potent than its parent compound in killing cancer cells. This discovery comes from a collaboration between the University of Oxford and NuCana. Another promising drug, NXP800, a first-in-class oral medication, has shown potent activity against cancer cells and caused shrinkage of human ovarian tumors in mice. This drug, discovered by scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, targets a pathway that cancer cells are highly dependent on, involving the HSF1 protein.”
Fast forward to the present, the National Health Service of UK government has approved for use a new drug which is believed to have the potency to slow down the growth of cancer cells drastically with little side effects.
According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the drug which is known as capivasertib is a a twice-daily pill is from the stable of AstraZeneca which is also described as Truqap.
If things go as planned, the drug will be made available to patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer.
It is believed that about 1000 women will benefit from this drug annually.
“The drug targets cancers that have specific genetic mutations and have spread within the breast tissue or to other parts of the body. By blocking the action of an abnormal protein that drives cancer cell growth, capivasertib is designed to slow or halt the progression of the disease, potentially prolonging the lives of patients.”
For now, the world awaits the UK government.
