Life-extending prostate cancer drug to be offered to thousands in England
Published on January 23, 2026
A life-extending prostate cancer drug is to be made available to thousands of men in England in a matter of weeks, after a campaign by a patient and a charity.
Abiraterone has been provided on the NHS in Scotland and Wales since 2023 but not in England and Northern Ireland, except in the most severe cases.
The drug is already prescribed for patients in the UK with very advanced prostate cancer that has spread.
But from now on the drug will be available on the NHS in England to high-risk patients whose cancer has not yet metastasised - potentially saving hundreds of lives.
Amy Rylance, assistant director of health improvement at charity Prostate Cancer UK, said the decision was "a momentous, life-saving victory for the thousands of men whose lives will now be saved".
She praised the BBC for keeping "a spotlight on this issue" through its coverage over the past few years.
The charity estimates 7,000 men a year will now start the treatment, with some 1,470 avoiding later news that their cancer has got worse.
The charity suggests some 560 lives will be saved.
The drug will be available in weeks, NHS England says, with around 2,000 men diagnosed with prostate cancer in the last three months getting access to the treatment if it is of clinical benefit.
Abiraterone stops cancer spreading by starving the disease of the hormones it needs to grow.