"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. The drug is already prescribed for patients in the UK with very advanced prostate cancer that has spread. 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."
"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. 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."
"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 by the NHS in Scotland and Wales but not in England. "I was shocked and angered that my postcode meant I was denied 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."
Abiraterone will be available on the NHS in England to high-risk patients with non-metastatic prostate cancer within weeks. Abiraterone has been provided in Scotland and Wales since 2023 but was previously unavailable in England and Northern Ireland except in the most severe cases. The drug is already prescribed for very advanced metastatic prostate cancer and works by starving the disease of the hormones it needs to grow. Prostate Cancer UK estimates about 7,000 men a year will start the treatment, with roughly 1,470 avoiding later disease progression and some 560 lives saved. Around 2,000 recently diagnosed men may access treatment if clinically beneficial.
Read at www.bbc.com
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