A landmark moment for medicine as a new drug that helps slow the spread of an incurable type of breast cancer has been approved for use in Britain’s state-run National Health Service.

The oral drug known as “Truqap” is made by British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and helps slow or stop the progression of the cancer.

According to scientists, the pill works by blocking the action of an abnormal protein that tells cancer cells to multiply, which means that it could help some patients live longer.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Director Helen Knight said that people with advanced breast cancer would value treatments like this because it may delay the need for chemotherapy and its associated side-effects.