Latest news with #GilesTurner
Metro
5 days ago
- Health
- Metro
'I've spent £20k on prostate cancer drug - but new test could save NHS money'
A new AI test can detect which men with high-risk prostate cancer could benefit from a life-extending drug. The technology studies images of tumour samples and picks out features the human eye cannot see. It then gives patients a score – biomarker-positive or -negative – to determine who will require abiraterone – a drug that inhibits testosterone production in the tumour. Giles Turner, 64, who lives in Brighton, was diagnosed with high-risk prostate cancer in March 2023 and is taking abiraterone. While the medicine is free on the NHS in England for men with advanced prostate cancer, Giles has spent £20,000 on it. He told Metro that he had just retired and before his diagnosis felt like he was in good health. 'When I first got that diagnosis it felt ridiculous, like it couldn't be possible,' Giles said. 'There's still a stigma around it like it is an old man's disease but it can happen to younger men as well. 'I joined a local support group and found out about abiraterone through that. 'Since then, I've spent £20,000 and while it is affordable for me, it is eating into my pension fund. 'If anything, I'm angry that treatment is not free in England, yet it is in Scotland and Wales. The NHS is meant to be there for you.' Developed by scientists in the US, UK and Switzerland, the AI was trialed on 1,000 men with high-risk prostate cancer that had not spread. Developed by scientists in the US, UK and Switzerland, the AI was trialed on 1,000 men with high-risk prostate cancer that had not spread. It found that for 25% of men in the group, they would benefit from the drug abiraterone, a drug that halves the risk of death from the disease. Because fewer men need the drug than previously thought, experts behind the study also say this will save the NHS money. According to the NHS, prostate cancer does not usually cause any symptoms until the cancer has grown large enough to put pressure on the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the penis. Symptoms of prostate cancer can include: Blood in urine or blood in semen Needing to pee more frequently, often during the night Needing to rush to the toilet Difficulty in starting to pee (hesitancy) Straining or taking a long time while peeing Weak flow Feeling that your bladder has not emptied fully Abiraterone has been described as a 'game changer' for the treatment of prostate cancer – the most common cancer found in men. Giles believes the new research should push both the NHS and government to introduce abiraterone for free in England. He said: 'The tool is a wonderful example of AI being used for good, helping to detect whether men will need the drug or not early on. 'It detects what specialists can't see, helping to reduce future deaths for thousands of men. 'It would have helped me two years ago to have definite certainty as to whether I needed abiraterone or not. 'My hope for the future is for thousands of others to get access to this drug if they need it so that more lives are saved.' Nick James, a professor of prostate and bladder cancer research at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, co led the study. He said: 'Access to this life-extending drug is currently a postcode lottery – with those living in Scotland and Wales able to receive the treatment for free. 'The NHS in England has previously decided that it would be too expensive to offer the drug. Since the patent expired in 2022, abiraterone costs just £77 per pack – compared with the thousands of pounds that new drugs cost. 'Previous research by my team has shown that preventing cancer relapses for these men would save more money than the drug costs to purchase.' Professor James warned about some side effects from the drug. These include potential issues with high blood pressure, or liver abnormalities and the risk of diabetes and heart attacks. Other organisations like Prostate Cancer UK have also been calling on the UK government to approve abiraterone for free in England. More Trending Around 50,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year and an estimated 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime. More than 12,000 men die from it each year and around 510,000 are living with prostate cancer. In response to calls to make the drug more accessible, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'We understand the frustration and upset of patients who cannot access this treatment. 'Abiraterone is available for some NHS patients in England with metastatic prostate cancer, and a decision to extend its use will be kept under review.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: US recalls tomatoes so dangerous 'there's a reasonable chance of death' MORE: Largest pharmacy chain in US closing 271 stores in 2025 – see list MORE: Woman suffers seven year infection after boyfriend farted in her face
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Men denied life-extending prostate cancer drug
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. The charity says many lives could be extended by the drug, given the findings from a trial called Stampede, published in 2022. It found improved odds of survival among men given the drug alongside usual care, and concluded that abiraterone should be considered a new standard treatment. According to figures from NHS England, each year about 8,400 patients have high-risk prostate cancer that has not yet spread. Using the Stampede assumptions, 672 of those men could die prematurely without access to abiraterone. In October 2023, BBC News spoke to Giles Turner, a retired banker living in Sussex. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer earlier that year but was told that abiraterone could not be obtained on the NHS in England. He chose to pay for treatment with the drug at £250 a month. He told us then that he felt "very fortunate" to be able to afford it, but outraged for others who could not. At the time, NHS England said it was reviewing the drug's use for a wider range of men. However, in December 2024 it told Prostate Cancer UK that "it has not been possible to identify the necessary recurrent headroom in revenue budgets". Because abiraterone is a generic drug which has gone "off patent" and is licensed for only one group of prostate cancer patients, there is a complicated process to get it approved for wider use. Each year, NHS England can make "discretionary" investment decisions with a specialist advisory group, but it has chosen not to for this drug. Smyth's letter earlier this month said the process had to look at "the overall budget impact of introducing a new treatment based on patient volumes", and ministers would not intervene. Mr Turner said he was "stunned" that nearly one-and-a-half years after the BBC report, NHS England had not caught up with NHS Scotland and NHS Wales. He has spent £20,000 so far on his treatment, and said he felt it was wrong that while expensive new patented drugs treatments could be funded, abiraterone - costing the NHS £77 per pack per month - could not be.
BBC News
14-03-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Men denied life-extending prostate cancer drug on NHS in England
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 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 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 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. The charity says many lives could be extended by the drug, given the findings from a trial called Stampede, published in 2022. It found improved odds of survival among men given the drug alongside usual care, and concluded that abiraterone should be considered a new standard treatment. According to figures from NHS England, each year about 8,400 patients have high-risk prostate cancer that has not yet spread. Using the Stampede assumptions, 672 of those men could die prematurely without access to abiraterone. In October 2023, BBC News spoke to Giles Turner, a retired banker living in Sussex. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer earlier that year but was told that abiraterone could not be obtained on the NHS in England. He chose to pay for treatment with the drug at £250 a month. He told us then that he felt "very fortunate" to be able to afford it, but outraged for others who could not. At the time, NHS England said it was reviewing the drug's use for a wider range of men. However, in December 2024 it told Prostate Cancer UK that "it has not been possible to identify the necessary recurrent headroom in revenue budgets". Because abiraterone is a generic drug which has gone "off patent" and is licensed for only one group of prostate cancer patients, there is a complicated process to get it approved for wider year, NHS England can make "discretionary" investment decisions with a specialist advisory group, but it has chosen not to for this drug. Smyth's letter earlier this month said the process had to look at "the overall budget impact of introducing a new treatment based on patient volumes", and ministers would not Turner said he was "stunned" that nearly one-and-a-half years after the BBC report, NHS England had not caught up with NHS Scotland and NHS Wales. He has spent £20,000 so far on his treatment, and said he felt it was wrong that while expensive new patented drugs treatments could be funded, abiraterone - costing the NHS £77 per pack per month - could not be.
Bloomberg
24-02-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
RedBird Mulls Selling Stake in IPL Cricket Team Rajasthan Royals
Markets By , Anto Antony, and Giles Turner Save RedBird Capital Partners is looking to sell its minority stake in Indian Premier League team Rajasthan Royals, as the private equity firm seeks to cash in on the growing popularity of cricket's most lucrative competition, people familiar said. RedBird, founded by former Goldman Sachs executive Gerry Cardinale, reportedly paid $37.5 million for 15% of Rajasthan Royals four years ago, valuing the franchise at $250 million.
