Life-extending prostate cancer drug to be offered to thou...

What’s Happening

Breaking it down: Abiraterone will be available in a matter of weeks and will be offered to 7,000 men a year.

Life-extending prostate cancer drug to be offered to thousands in England 2 days ago Save Hugh Pym , Health editor and Ian Atkinson Save Giles Turner Giles Turner paid privately to access abiraterone and was part of the campaign to get it approved in England A life-extending prostate cancer drug is to be made available to thousands of men in England in a matter of weeks, after a campaign by a patient and a charity. Abiraterone has been provided on the NHS in Scotland and Wales since 2023 but not in England and Northern Ireland, except in the most severe cases. (shocking, we know)

The drug is already prescribed for patients in the UK with advanced prostate cancer that has spread.

The Details

But from now on the drug will be available on the NHS in England to high-risk patients whose cancer has not yet metastasised - potentially saving hundreds of lives. Amy Rylance, assistant director of health improvement at charity Prostate Cancer UK, dropped the decision was “a momentous, life-saving victory for the thousands of men whose lives will now be saved”.

She praised the BBC for keeping “a spotlight on this issue” through its coverage over the past few years. The charity estimates 7,000 men a year will now start the treatment, with some 1,470 avoiding later news that their cancer has got worse.

Why This Matters

The charity suggests some 560 lives will be saved. The drug will be available in weeks, NHS England says, with around 2,000 men diagnosed with prostate cancer in the last three months getting access to the treatment if it is of clinical benefit. Abiraterone stops cancer spreading disease of the hormones it needs to grow.

Medical professionals are taking note of this development.

Key Takeaways

• Giles Turner, from Brighton, was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer in March 2023.
• He approached BBC News later that year after hearing that abiraterone was provided in Scotland and Wales but not in England.

The Bottom Line

He approached BBC News later that year after hearing that abiraterone was provided in Scotland and Wales but not in England. “I was shocked and angered that my postcode meant I was shut down free access to a treatment that could halve my risk of dying and give me the best chance of a cure,” he told the BBC.

What do you think about all this?