Cancer drug which kept Lockerbie bomber alive to be made available on the NHS in Scotland

A prostate cancer drug credited for prolonging the life of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi is to be made available to National Health Service patients in Scotland.

• al-Megrahi survivrd for an additional two-and-a-half years while taking abiraterone

Scotland was the only part of the UK where patients could not get the medication, which is designed to extend life and improve quality of life for those in the advanced stages of the disease.

Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the only man convicted of the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988, was reportedly being treated with the drug in Libya prior to his death in May.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill released Megrahi from prison on “compassionate grounds” in August 2009 after he was diagnosed with three months to live.

Abiraterone was previously refused to cancer patients in Scotland by the SMC on cost grounds but manufacturer Janssen has resubmitted its application.

Prostate Cancer UK has welcomed the SMC’s decision to recommend abiraterone for use on the NHS in Scotland for men with incurable prostate cancer.

The news comes just two weeks after Prostate Cancer UK renewed its call for abiraterone to be made available in Scotland after Northern Ireland had joined England and Wales in approving the drug for NHS use.