New drug developed to treat lung cancer particularly prevalent in Hong Kong
Researchers say the medicine reduces side effects seen in chemotherapy, but may not be widely available for some time due to its high cost
An international team from several institutions including Chinese University has developed a new drug to treat a form of lung cancer which is particularly prevalent among Chinese people.
The researchers said it reduces the side effects resulting from chemotherapy, but may not be widely available for some time due to its high cost.
The new drug is particularly significant for Asians as they are more prone than Westerners to suffer from lung cancer caused by a particular type of gene mutation, Mok said.
The Department of Health in Hong Kong approved the use of the new drug this month, but local doctors believe it will take years before it can become first-line treatment in public hospitals as it costs about HK$40,000 per month.
“The new medicine has brought new hope to some patients,” Mok said after the research result was presented to the 17th World Conference on Lung Cancer in Austria on December 6. It was published in the New England Journal of Medicine the same day.