Abiraterone, which doubles the life expectancy of those with the most advanced cancer and “effectively cures” it in less critical patients, was declared safe yesterday by the European Medicines Agency.
However, health chiefs in England will not decide whether to fund it on the NHS until Autumn next year.
The treatment is currently provided to NHS patients where standard hormone therapy has failed.
But a major British trial presented in June found that when used as a first-line treatment alongside hormone therapy its efficacy was vastly improved.
Men whose prostate cancer has spread can currently expect to survive around 3.5 years, however under the new strategy this is expected to become seven.
It also cuts by 50 per cent the traumatic bone complications that often accompany late-stage prostate cancer, an advance which should save the NHS £45 million annually.
Around half the men diagnosed with prostate cancer are not immediately prescribed any treatment – instead their slow-growing tumours are regularly monitored as part of a “watch and wait” strategy.
But another 20,000 do require immediate treatment.
Professor Paul Workman, Chief Executive of The Institute of Cancer Research, said: “It is fantastic news that abiraterone has been approved by the European regulator as a first-line treatment in combination with hormone therapy for men newly diagnosed advanced prostate cancer.
“Drug therapy for prostate cancer has undergone a revolution over the last decade, and this is another big step forward – the first time that a modern, targeted therapy has been approved for use from the point of diagnosis.”
Heather Blake, Director of Support and Influencing at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “Both the trial and licensing processes have been unexpectedly swift which is a sign that this treatment combination offered significant benefits over hormone therapy alone.
“It is crucial that NICE (The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence) and the manufacturer work together to ensure it is appraised as soon as possible.”
Source: Telegraph