Request for life-extending prostate cancer drug access

1 November 2023

LOCAL politicians have been asked to make the case for a life-extending prostate cancer drug to be made more widely available in Northern Ireland.

The appeal was made at last week’s meeting of the Down Community Health Committee in Downpatrick when it was revealed that patients across the province are missing out on the abiraterone drug which is more widely available on the NHS in Scotland and Wales.

Although not a cure, abiraterone can help stop prostate cancer spreading to other parts of the body, particularly bones, with NHS England confirming recently that it would review the drug's use for more men next year.

In England and Northern Ireland, abiraterone is only approved for men with very advanced prostate cancer which has spread.

Last year, the so-called Stampede trial showed that abiraterone could benefit a larger group of men with earlier stage tumours that hadn't yet started to spread. It works by lowering testosterone production in the body which can fuel some cancer cell growth.

The study showed it could halve the risk of the cancer spreading and significantly reduce the chance of death six years on from diagnosis in that group.

Prostate Cancer UK believes at least 5,000 out of 52,000 newly diagnosed prostate patients in England each year could benefit from the hormone therapy if it was offered to more men.

Community health committee chairman, Mr Eamonn McGrady, said there is a postcode lottery when it comes to the drug’s availability.

He explained the prostate cancer drug is only approved in Northern Ireland for men with very advanced cancer which has already spread.

But he said the Stampede trial showed that a larger group of men would benefit with earlier stage tumours that had not yet started to spread.

The health group chairman explained the drug works by lowering testosterone production in the body which can fuel cancer cell growth.

“The study showed the drug could halve the rate of the cancer spreading and significantly reduce the chance of death, six years on from diagnosis,” Mr McGrady told the meeting.

The health group chairman said everybody agrees the drug is a good idea, but what is required is someone with decision making powers in Stormont to get on with it and follow the issue up.

He added: “This is a life or death drug and our MP and MLAs could use their influence on this issue and it would be great if some of our councillors could propose a resolution at council level to exert influence on the powers-that-be to get abiraterone made available.”

Prostate Cancer UK said it was "unacceptable" that men in parts of the UK were facing a postcode lottery, including those in Northern Ireland.

Professor Nick James, an expert in prostate cancer at the Institute of Cancer Research — the centre that first developed the drug — wants the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and NHS England to extend the availability of abiraterone.

Campaigners also touched on the issue of bowel cancer screening during last week’s well attended meeting.

They expressed concern that men are invited for bowel screening when they turn 60 or can be tested earlier if there is a history of the cancer in their family.

Describing this as a “crazy anomaly”, Mr McGrady said bowel cancer is one cancer which has the highest cure rates when it is detected early.

He said bowel cancer can be detected before people become aware of symptoms and it is important that this happens.

He encouraged politicians to exert pressure and influence on whoever it needs to be on the screening issue timeframe, whether it is the Department of Health or Public Health Agency.

Campaigners are also encouraging men to speak to their GP before symptoms arrive, suggesting this could lead to increased survival rates.

They say people must remember that bowel cancer can be a very treatable condition, if it is picked up early.

The Downe Hospital in Downpatrick is the South Eastern Trust’s centre for bowel screening.

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