NHS Expands Access to Abiraterone for Prostate Cancer Patients

Around 2,000 men diagnosed with prostate cancer in the last three months will be eligible for abiraterone which has been shown to increase the survival rate of men after six years from 77% to 86%. Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘When you're living with prostate cancer, every day with your loved ones matters. I'm delighted the NHS have taken the steps needed to make the drug available, giving thousands of men access to abiraterone – a treatment that significantly improves survival rates and can give patients precious extra years of life. ‘We're backing the best clinical evidence, making smart funding decisions and ensuring patients get the care they need when they need it most. ‘We're serious about improving prostate cancer outcomes – treating it faster and giving loved ones more time together.' Access to abiraterone is being extended thanks to the NHS buying and delivering treatments at better value. The NHS has set a target to save over £1bn on clinically effective biosimilar drugs during this Parliament – more than eight in 10 drugs the NHS now prescribes are lower cost biosimilar or generic drug – creating available funding for other treatments.