Zytiga Recommended for use on the NHS

A drug to treat advanced prostate cancer should be given to patients on the NHS, a health watchdog has said.

Abiraterone, marketed as Zytiga, can extend the lives of late-stage cancer sufferers by more than three months.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) revised its recommendations after fresh information from manufacturer Janssen, and the new draft guidance was welcomed by experts.
Professor Alan Ashworth, chief executive of the Institute of Cancer Research, said: "We are delighted by today's decision to allow patients with advanced prostate cancer to receive abiraterone on the NHS.
"This drug was discovered at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and is the result of more than two decades of dedicated work by our scientists and collaborators.
"In clinical trials of men with advanced prostate cancer who have already tried chemotherapy, it has been shown to extend life by an average of four months and improve quality of life."
Cally Palmer, chief executive of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, said: "The development of abiraterone by The Royal Marsden and the ICR highlights the national importance of funding pioneering cancer research.
"We are delighted our patients at The Royal Marsden were among the first to benefit from the very latest in drug development and are pleased that patients across the country will now also benefit from our work."
Each year around 37,000 men in the UK are diagnosed with prostate cancer and 10,000 die from the disease. It is the second most common cause of cancer death in men - after lung cancer - accounting for 13%.

This drug was discovered by Professor Gerry Potter at the Institute of Cancer Research and is the result of more than two decades of dedicated work by our scientists and collaborators.

Professor Alan Ashworth

Sir Andrew Dillon, chief executive of Nice, said: "During the consultation on the draft guidance Janssen, the manufacturer of the drug, submitted further information for the committee to consider.
"This included a revised patient access scheme which involves providing the drug to the NHS at a discounted price, further information on which patients would benefit most and clarification on how many patients could receive the drug.
"These factors enabled the committee to revise its preliminary recommendation and now recommend the drug for use on the NHS.
"We are very pleased that Janssen's submission to our consultation means that we are able to produce draft guidance recommending abiraterone - it is an effective treatment, potentially extending life by more than three months, and it also allows patients to be treated at home as it can be taken orally."