LONDON — In a groundbreaking move, the NHS is set to offer a daily pill that cuts the risk of breast cancer by half, providing a sense of "freedom from fear" for around 300,000 women. The medication, anastrozole, will be part of a preventive strategy similar to how statins protect against heart disease.

Amanda Pritchard, the head of the NHS, hailed this initiative as a "new era for cancer prevention" in an article for The Telegraph. She emphasized that these 4p pills, following in the transformative footsteps of statins, could save lives on a considerable scale.

The program targets post-menopausal women with family histories of breast cancer. GPs will assess if these individuals should be offered the medication. If fully embraced, this preventive approach could thwart 8,000 cases of breast cancer among women in their 50s and 60s.

The drug, anastrozole, has been found to reduce the risk of breast cancer by 49% for over a decade when taken by high-risk women for five years. This move is lauded by charities and health officials, with potential savings of £15 million in cancer treatment costs.

The NHS initiative is a milestone moment, repurposing an existing drug for prevention purposes, and aims to follow the success of other preventive measures such as COVID vaccinations and statins. The decision is seen as a significant step in the mission to save lives from breast cancer and catch killer conditions earlier. — Agencies