Here is the result in plain text without any additional lines:
A cancer charity has said it is “angry and frustrated” that ministers and health officials have not approved the provision of a life-extending prostate cancer drug through the NHS in England.
The drug, abiraterone, has been available in Scotland and Wales for two years for high-risk patients whose cancer has not yet spread, but not in England and Northern Ireland.
In a letter to Prostate Cancer UK, seen by the BBC, Health Minister Karin Smyth said the decision by NHS England, following a lengthy review, was “based on overall affordability” and that “it would not be appropriate to intervene”.
The government said urgent advice had been requested on the issue.
The charity said it was a “dire and urgent situation in England” with “a bureaucratic blockage denying men this treatment”.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We understand the frustration and upset of some patients who cannot access this potentially life-saving treatment. Ministers have requested urgent advice on the issue.”
Although not a cure, abiraterone can help stop prostate cancer spreading to other parts of the body.
In England and Northern Ireland, the drug is only approved for men with very advanced prostate cancer which has spread already.
In Wales and Scotland, people with the disease that has not yet spread can also get it.
Research has shown that for these earlier stage patients, the survival rate after six years is improved and that the drug halved the rate of progression of the cancer.
Source link
