Low cost abiraterone

Abstract

Abiraterone is approved in combination with prednisone and a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) analogue for castration-resistant prostate cancer (CPRC) patients progressing in the form of previa [1] or after treatment with docetaxel [2]. CPRC patients treated with abiraterone should take four tablets on an empty stomach one hour before breakfast, 10 mg of prednisone, and continued treatment with analogue LHRH [3]. It is an effective drug but at a cost of €36,693 per patient per year [4]. In addition, the LHRH analogue costs from €972 to €1788 per patient per year [5] (€81–€149 per month depending on the European country). Is it necessary to maintain this very expensive therapeutic scheme? Can we obtain the same results at a lower cost? Theoretically abiraterone treatment can be nearly 80% cheaper with the same therapeutic results. This can be achieved with two modifications to current treatment: