Al Megrahi's prostate cancer drug 'too expensive' for NHS Yet the drug has given some far longer than that. Al Megrahi is thought to have been on it ever since flying home to Libya in August 2009, after being freed from prison on compassionate grounds by the Scottish Government. Doctors had predicted he would only live another three months. The drug has also been shown to significantly reduce the pain patients feel. Abiraterone costs £2,930 for a month's supply. Nice noted manufacturer Janssen had agreed a "discounted price" but said it was "commercial in confidence." Nice economically assesses drugs not just on their cost but on how much benefit they bring patients, using a complex measure called the 'quality-adjusted life year'. It calculated abiraterone as having a QALY cost of £63,200, more than double its normal £30,000 cut-off. But Professor Peter Johnson, chief clinician at Cancer Research UK, said: "Since it became available in the UK, abiraterone has been one of the most requested treatments from the Cancer Drugs Fund. This is because patients and doctors value the extra months of life it can give if prostate cancer has come back after chemotherapy. Although it is widely available through the CDF, studies show use of the fund is patchy, while it only covers England. It will also be abolished in 2014. The charity does have a financial interest in abariterone, as it helped fund research. Prof Johnson admitted it was "too expensive," but added: "NICE must find a better way to ensure drugs that are already working for patients get approved." Owen Sharp, chief executive of The Prostate Cancer Charity, described the decision as "a bitter blow to thousands of men and their families," saying: "It must be overturned." A consultation is open on the draft decision until 23 February, during which time Nice will also be hoping Janssen puts a better offer forward. Abariterone works by stopping production of testosterone in the testes, adrenal glands and the tumours themselves. The male sex hormone fuels prostate cancer. About 10,000 men a year die from advanced prostate cancer. Janssen estimated some 4,300 would be eligible for abiraterone now, rising to 5,500 in 2013. Based on these numbers, the Nice committee concluded it did not meet the criteria for what are known as "end-of-life treatments," under which more expensive drugs are sometimes recommended. Meanwhile, trial results have shown that another experimental drug can prolong the lives of those with advanced prostate cancer by 4.9 months. MDV3100 was also developed by the Institute for Cancer Research. Results are being presented at an American conference on Thursday. Professor Johann de Bono, of the ICR, believed it would be used at various stages of disease progression in the future. But Dr Ian Banks, president of the Men's Health Forum, wondered if it too would end up being turned down by Nice. He said: "The pharmaceutical industry is going to be put off from doing expensive clinical trials if at the end of the day they are told, 'No, we can't use this drug.' "