A recent report has revealed that thousands of men with prostate cancer in England are being denied access to abiraterone, a low-cost drug that could save hundreds of lives each year. 

What is Abiraterone? 

• Blocks the production of testosterone, which fuels prostate cancer growth. 
• Already available on the NHS for men with advanced, incurable cancer. 
• A 2022 clinical trial proved it is also effective for men with high-risk cancer that has not yet spread, reducing the risk of the disease returning by 50% and improving survival rates by 40%. 

Cost and Access 

• Abiraterone costs less than £2.50 per day due to generic versions now being available. 
• Despite the low cost, NHS England has not approved it for wider use, citing budgetary and bureaucratic delays. 
• The same drug is already free in Scotland and Wales. 
• Research shows using abiraterone early could save the NHS £5,000 per patient per year by reducing the need for later treatments. 

The Human Impact 

• Prostate Cancer UK estimates 13 men a week die avoidably because they cannot access abiraterone. 
• Some men are spending their life savings to pay privately for the drug: 
  • One patient has spent £80,000 since diagnosis in 2019. 
  • Another has spent £20,000 since last year and is now in remission. 

Calls for Action 

• Cancer experts argue it is a “ludicrous situation” that men in England are missing out, despite the drug being developed and trialled here. 
• Charities are urging the government and NHS England to resolve funding delays and make abiraterone widely available. 

Prostate cancer remains the most common cancer in men, with 56,000 cases and 12,000 deaths every year in the UK. Ensuring equal access to proven, cost-effective treatments like abiraterone is critical in saving lives. 

Read the full article in The Times - https://www.thetimes.com/article/d4c8ce59-b885-4334-a5d1-4555c80690a1?shareToken=8f8ddd2c3adaaa9722f0f56d81218562