Prostate cancer drug Zytiga rejected for use in Ireland

A new prostate cancer treatment has been rejected for use in Ireland.

Zytiga, which has been dubbed a `wonder drug', can extend the lives of late-stage prostate cancer sufferers.

According to a report in the Sunday Business Post, the drug was approved for use in Britain this month.

However, the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics, which carries out cost-effectiveness studies on new medicines in Ireland, concluded that Zytiga did not represent value for money at €28,000 per patient.

One in eight men in Ireland will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, with approximately 500 dying from the disease every year.

About 150 men in Ireland with advanced prostate cancer would be eligible to take Zytiga.