New prostate cancer drug launched

21st September 2011 - A new medication to treat advanced prostate cancer has been launched on the UK market following licensing by the European Medicines Agency.

Abiraterone acetate, which is taken as a daily pill, is used to treat men who have already undergone chemotherapy.

Recent figures show that more than 37,000 men are diagnosed with prostatecancer each year in the UK. More than 10,000 men died from the disease in 2008, the latest year for which statistics are available.

Living longer

Results published last year of a Phase III trial showed that those treated with abiraterone plus the steroid prednisolone lived an average of almost four months longer than those given a placebo together with prednisolone.

The trial of abiraterone involved 1,195 patients from 13 countries with metastatic advanced prostate cancer. Among those who took the medication, the risk of dying was cut by 35%, while there was a 36% increase in the average survival rate, meaning that men taking the medication lived for 14.8 months, compared with 10.9 months for those assigned the placebo.

Stopping testosterone production

Abiraterone works by stopping the body making the hormone testosterone. Most testosterone is made in the testes, but a small amount is made elsewhere. Shutting down the body's testosterone production can slow prostate cancer growth or even shrink it.

Abiraterone is manufactured by Janssen-Cilag International N.V. under the brand name Zytiga. Following licensing by the European authorities, the medication is now available on the UK market.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) are currently assessing whether to approve the medication for use on the NHS. A decision from NICE is expected in May 2012.

'Exciting drug': Charity

The Prostate Cancer Charity said it was vital that abiraterone should be appraised swiftly. Its Chief Executive Owen Sharp said in an emailed statement: "Research has shown that abiraterone can increase life by an average of four months, which represents invaluable time with loved ones. We need to see the men who simply cannot afford to wait gain access to this exciting drug as soon as possible."

Until a decision is reached by NICE, it is up to local health providers to decide whether to fund treatment. It may be available for men in England through an application to the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK's CEO, said in a statement: "It's important that promising new drugs are made available to patients who need them and we look forward to the NICE decision on this drug which we hope will help improve survival for men with this disease."