NHS to look again at Megrahi prostate drug

The company behind a prostate cancer drug credited with keeping Abdelbaset al-Megrahi alive, has asked again for the treatment to be made available to NHS patients in Scotland.

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) this year decided abiraterone was too expensive for use on the NHS in Scotland.

The drug has been linked by a prostate specialist to the prolonged life of the Lockerbie bomber, who has outlived his three-month prognosis by more than two years.

The Prostate Cancer Charity said a study showed the drug may extend sufferers’ lives by about three months.

Manufacturer Janssen-Cilag resubmitted the drug to the SMC, the body that decides which drugs should be offered on the NHS and issues advice to NHS boards about newly licensed medicines.