The National Institute for Healthy and Care Excellence has favored Astellas Pharma’s Xtandi for treating prostate cancer. It has issued draft guidance to recommend the drug for treating hormone-relapsed metastatic prostate cancer.

According to Professor Carole Longson, Director of NICE’s Centre for Health Technology Evaluation, Xtandi has high efficacy to treat the disease. The best part is that the medicine can be taken orally, and enables the patient to get the treatment at home.

The mechanism of Xtandi to treat the disease is different from the drugs currently available for prostate cancer treatment. It is recommended as an option by NICE’s draft guidance, only if their disease has become worse during or after one docetaxel-containing chemotherapy regimen. It can also be taken if the manufacturer is providing as per discount agreed in the patient access scheme.

Prostate Cancer UK has welcomed the draft guidance. The group said Xtandi has shown great optimism to extend the lives of men with advanced prostate cancer.

Group’s Chief Executive Owen Sharp said, “We need clinicians to have options at their disposal to do what counts – extend the lives of men with this disease when other options have run out”. He said NICE should confirm this decision as soon as possible to better the plight of many men suffering with the lethal condition.