What has SMC said?
The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has accepted elacestrant for the treatment of post-menopausal women, and men, with breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body (is metastatic) or has spread to nearby tissues (is locally advanced). It is for use when the breast cancer cells have oestrogen receptors (are ER-positive) and do not have too much of a protein called HER2 (are HER2-negative). It is used to treat breast cancer where the cancer cells have a change (activating mutation) in a gene called ESR1, when the patient’s cancer has got worse or not responded to at least one line of hormonal treatment, including a type of medicine called a CDK4/6 inhibitor.
SMC has accepted elacestrant for restricted use. The restriction means that elacestrant is accepted for treating patients whose cancer has got worse after receiving 12 months or more of treatment with a hormonal treatment and a CDK4/6 inhibitor.
This document summarises the SMC decision and what it means for patients.
You can find more detailed information about the SMC assessment of elacestrant by looking at the SMC Detailed Advice Document (SMC2933).
What does SMC’s decision mean for patients?
Elacestrant for use as described above is available for prescribing on the NHS in Scotland. Your healthcare professional can discuss with you if it is the right treatment for you.
You can find more information about making decisions about your treatment here: Medicines in Scotland: What’s the right treatment for me?
More about SMC’s decision
SMC’s decision takes into account a confidential discount offered by the pharmaceutical company.
How does SMC make its decision?
SMC carefully considers every new medicine to make sure it benefits patients and is likely to be a good use of NHS resources.
To do this SMC studies the following:
- Evidence from the company about how well the medicine works compared with current treatments available in Scotland, in relation to how much they will cost to buy and use to treat patients.
- Information from patient groups about the potential impact of the medicine on patients and carers.
- Advice from healthcare professionals about any benefits of the new medicine compared to current treatment, along with how the new medicine is likely to be used.
When SMC assesses a medicine it takes account of the needs of all patients in NHSScotland, not only those who may be treated with the medicine.
You can find out more about how SMC decides here: https://www.scottishmedicines.org.uk/how-we-decide/
More information and support
The organisations below can provide more information and support for people with breast cancer and their families. SMC is not responsible for the content of any information provided by external organisations.
Breast Cancer Now
https://breastcancernow.org 0808 800 6000
METUP UK
https://metupuk.org.uk
Make 2nds Count
https://make2ndscount.co.uk
You can find out more about elacestrant (brand name: Korserdu®) in the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) by searching for the medicine name on the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) website.
https://products.mhra.gov.uk/