Thousands of men with non-metastatic prostate cancer will be offered the drug abiraterone on the NHS in England within weeks.
For the first time, patients whose cancer has not spread will be eligible for abiraterone as access is expanded. Around 2,000 men diagnosed in the past three months could receive the treatment if it is judged clinically beneficial, and roughly 7,000 more men diagnosed each year will be eligible going forward.
Abiraterone works by blocking the hormones, including testosterone, that prostate cancer needs to grow. Clinical research shows a survival benefit for earlier-stage patients: after six years, 86% of men treated with abiraterone were alive compared with 77% of those on standard hormone therapy with or without radiotherapy.
NHS England says the wider rollout was made possible after securing better value in procurement and delivery of treatments, following specialist clinical advice to extend use. The NHS aims to save more than £1 billion this parliamentary term by using clinically effective biosimilar and generic medicines; more than 80% of prescriptions are now lower-cost biosimilar or generic drugs, freeing up funding for other treatments.
Abiraterone is already commissioned in England as a lower-cost generic for advanced prostate cancer, following a commissioning policy introduced in December 2024—almost a year before positive guidance from NICE in November 2025.
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Cancer, said the expanded option could keep many men’s cancer under control for years and give them a better chance of longer, healthier lives. John Stewart, National Director of Specialised Commissioning at NHS England, thanked campaigners and partners, including Prostate Cancer UK, for helping secure the rollout and said the move should be welcome news for patients and their families.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said the decision was driven by the best clinical evidence and smart funding choices, stressing the importance of giving patients more time with loved ones by improving access to effective treatments.
Alongside the abiraterone expansion, NHS England will also make blood plasma treatment available for people with the rare Clarkson’s Syndrome and provide genetic testing for parents with pre-existing conditions undergoing IVF, following clinical advice and supported by long-term funding.