New ovarian cancer treatment approved for NHS - the first for 20 years

A new ovarian cancer treatment has been approved for use on the NHS for the first time in 20 years.

Experts have hailed the "landmark" decision, which means that hundreds of women with hard-to-treat cancer are set to be offered the new treatment.

A significant proportion of women with ovarian cancer are not diagnosed until the disease is at a later stage, meaning it is harder to treat.

Women with a certain form of the late-stage disease previously had limited options, experts said.

Now the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has said that mirvetuximab soravtansine can be used for women with certain forms of ovarian, fallopian tube or peritoneal cancers.

Developed by AbbVie, it is a targeted therapy which works by attaching to cancer cells and destroying them.

These treatments are sometimes described as a "biological missile" or "Trojan horse" therapy.

Clinical trials have shown the drug, which is given by a drip once every three weeks, can improve survival among patients by around four months on average, compared with those who have chemotherapy alone.

Read more from Sky News:
New pill 'doubles survival time' for pancreatic cancer patients

"Today marks a landmark moment," Victoria Clare, chief executive officer of the charity Ovacome, said.

"This recommendation is the first in over 20 years to offer the ovarian cancer community an additional choice at a critical stage, with the potential to make a real difference to patients and their families."

(c) Sky News 2026: New ovarian cancer treatment approved for NHS - the first for 20 years