Lockerbie bomber cancer drug to be offered by NHS
Scotland had previously been the only region of the United Kingdom where abiraterone was not made available to late-stage prostate cancer sufferers.
Yesterday, however, the drug, which can typically extend a patient’s life by around four months, was approved for use by the Scotland Medicines Consortium.
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Hide AdDavid Sinton, 62, who lives in the New Town and was successfully treated for prostate cancer after he was diagnosed in 2000, said: “This is a very good, if slightly belated decision.
“Four months may not sound like a long time but they’re good months in the sense that the patient retains their quality of life.”
Jackson Carlaw, MSP and Scottish Conservative health spokesman, said: “It’s a welcome decision, but not before time.
“This drug – which was used to keep the Lockerbie bomber alive so successfully – should have been available long before now.”
Prostate Cancer UK’s chief executive Owen Sharp added: “Now that the correct decision has been made, health boards must waste no time in ensuring that men who need abiraterone can access it as soon as possible.”