Prostrate drug too expensive for NHS

Thursday, 02 February 2012

The NHS has rejected a breakthrough drug which prolongs the life of men with advanced prostate cancer - as it is too expensive.

Abiraterone is a daily pill developed by UK scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research, with trials partly funded by British charities.

But the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has branded the pill too expensive for use in the NHS.

Trials have proved that Abiraterone can give months of life to men suffering from advanced disease.

Men who took the drug and a steroid survived for almost 15 months, while those given steroid treatment and a 'dummy' pill lived for around 11 months.

Some patients live far longer than expected on the drugs - including those who have used it for more than four years.

Researchers also found that the drug eased pain for twice as many men in the trials.

A year's supply of the treatment costs £35,000 - which NICE has ruled too expensive.

Owen Sharp, chief executive of the Prostate Cancer Charity, which helped fund trials, called for a new ruling on the drug.

He said: "This draft decision is a bitter blow to thousands of men and their families - and must be overturned.’