A drug, Zytiga developed by the Institute of Cancer Research has shown positive results for the treatment of prostate cancer patients. The drug extended the lives of prostate cancer patients by four months in the clinical trials.

The drug is also known as abiraterone acetate and is approved in the US, after the successful clinical trials but is yet to be available in the UK. Abiraterone is the first treatment of its kind and is highly effective on men with advanced prostate cancer.

The clinical trials of the drug were carried out on 1,195 men with prostate cancer, who had stopped responding to standard hormone therapy and chemotherapy. These patients were randomly given placebos and the new drug, Zytiga.

The results of the trails found that the patients who were given Zytiga survived for 15 months whereas those who received placebos survived for 11 months, on an average. Patients who received Zytiga experienced lesser pain as compared to other patients.

Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK’s Chief Executive, said that every year, more than 10,000 men are diagnosed with aggressive forms of prostate cancer, but the new treatment will be helpful in extending their life span.