Elahere approved for use in Scotland by SMC
Ovarian Cancer Action welcomes the decision announced today by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) to approve mirvetuximab soravtansine (Elahere®) for use on the NHS in Scotland for some women with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.
The decision means that eligible women with folate receptor alpha-positive (FRα) positive platinum-resistant high grade serous ovarian, fallopian tube or primary peritoneal cancer will now be able to access the treatment, which is already available to women in England.
Women whose ovarian cancer has returned and become resistant to platinum chemotherapy often face limited treatment options. Elahere offers a new targeted treatment for this group, and is specifically available for women who have had between one and three previous lines of systemic treatment.
Elahere is the first treatment of its kind to be approved for ovarian cancer in the UK, and was first approved in England earlier this year.
Clinical trial data suggests Elahere can help women live longer without their cancer progressing, and improves tumour response rates compared with standard chemotherapy.
As part of the SMC’s process of assessing the medicine, Ovarian Cancer Action shared the experiences of women who have become platinum-resistant, as well as several who have taken Elahere already.
We were able to build a clear picture of how women feel that Elahere gives them more time with their families, with fewer day-to-day side effects than chemotherapy.
We attended the Patient and Clinician Engagement (PACE) meeting alongside our nominated patient expert, Mags, to help make sure your voices were represented in the process.
Fiona, who lives Perthshire and was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer in August 2019 at the age of 57 shares her thoughts on the news:
“Hearing that Elahere has now been approved for women in Scotland is very good news, after having been approved in June for patients in England. There had been few options for this group of platinum-resistant patients for many years, so this decision now gives them another treatment option. It will also give women hope & more time to spend with people they love.”
Mags, from Lanarkshire, was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer in 2023. She was Ovarian Cancer Action’s nominated patient expert for the SMC’s PACE meeting and told us:
“This decision brings an overwhelming wave of hope, pure relief, and profound validation for women across Scotland facing platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.
For nearly twenty years, we have watched treatment options stand still. A positive decision completely changes the landscape for women in this situation: It gives us a lifeline. It is a targeted breakthrough proven to extend survival, buying us what matters most: precious, quality time with our families. It will end the postcode lottery. It will lift the agonising anxiety of knowing this drug is accessible in England, ensuring Scottish women are not left behind.
It preserves our dignity. It attacks the cancer effectively while sparing us from the devastating, full-body toxicities and hair loss of standard chemotherapy.
A "Yes" means we are seen, we are valued, and we finally have a fighting chance.”
Marie-Claire Platt, Ovarian Cancer Action’s Director of Research and Policy says:
“Elahere offers women with ovarian cancer the chance for more time, and better quality of life. We are delighted that the SMC’s decision enables women in Scotland to have the same access as in other parts of the UK.”
For the full details of the SMC decision, see their website here.
Read more about Elahere and maintenance treatments via the links below:
