The NHS has expanded access to a prostate cancer drug across England in a move expected to save thousands of lives.
Abiraterone, which starves cancer cells of the hormones they need to grow, will be offered to men who are newly diagnosed and whose disease has not spread beyond the prostate.
Previously, the drug was available only to patients with advanced prostate cancer that had spread to other parts of the body. It is already prescribed more widely in Scotland and Wales, a disparity charities said had created a postcode lottery.
The NHS said the rollout in England had been secured with the support of campaigners including Prostate Cancer UK. The decision means about 8,000 men will be eligible for the drug each year, and within this group it is expected to reduce deaths from prostate cancer from about 1,900 to fewer than 1,000.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, affecting one in eight in the UK, with about 55,300 new diagnoses and 12,200 deaths a year.
Prof Peter Johnson, the national clinical director at NHS England, said thousands of men could “kickstart their year with the news that they will have a better chance of living longer and healthier lives”.
He said: “The NHS will continue to work hard to offer people the most effective and evidence-based treatments, with several new prostate cancer drugs rolled out over the last five years.”
Abiraterone will be given in combination with a steroid, prednisolone, and standard treatments including androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and radiotherapy.
A clinical trial led by researchers at University College London and the Institute of Cancer Research found the drug could halve the risk of prostate cancer coming back and reduce the risk of death by 40% when the disease had not spread beyond the prostate.
Prostate Cancer UK estimates the decision will save more than 3,000 lives over the next five years.
Amy Rylance, an assistant director of health improvement at the charity, said: “This decision is a momentous, life-saving victory for the thousands of men whose lives will now be saved.
“Until now, men in England have found themselves in an impossible situation. It’s terrifying to be told you’ve got a cancer that’s likely to spread – to then find out you can’t access the treatment that science has proven to be your best chance at surviving is completely devastating.”
She added: “We refused to accept this outcome for men and we didn’t stop until we changed it..”
The health secretary, Wes Streeting, said he was “delighted” by the decision, adding that abiraterone “significantly improves survival rates and can give patients precious extra years of life”.
He added: “We’re backing the best clinical evidence, making smart funding decisions and ensuring patients get the care they need when they need it most.”
