Overview
- For the first time in England, men whose prostate cancer has not spread will be offered abiraterone, with access starting within weeks.
- Around 2,000 men diagnosed in the past three months are expected to be eligible immediately, subject to clinical benefit.
- NHS England estimates about 7,000 newly diagnosed men each year will qualify for the treatment.
- Trials cited by the NHS show six‑year survival of 86% with abiraterone versus 77% with standard care for these high‑risk patients.
- The expansion is enabled by lower-cost generics and broader biosimilar savings, follows prior commissioning for advanced disease and positive NICE guidance, and was supported by campaigners and ministers.