Rupa Huq Praised for Role in Expanding Access to Prostate Cancer Drug
Efforts prompted by experience of her family and constituents
Rupa Huq with Wes Streeting
February 2, 2026
Ealing Central and Acton MP Rupa Huq has been praised by Health Secretary Wes Streeting for her role in securing wider NHS access to the prostate cancer drug abiraterone in England .
The government has announced that abiraterone will now be made available to high-risk non-metastatic prostate cancer patients on the NHS, bringing England into line with Scotland and Wales and ending what campaigners described as a postcode lottery in cancer treatment.
Previously, patients in England could only receive the drug on the NHS once their cancer had metastasised. Abiraterone, developed by the Institute of Cancer Research in London, is regarded as a major breakthrough in prostate cancer treatment and has been credited with extending and improving the lives of hundreds of thousands of men worldwide.
The policy change follows a parliamentary debate led by Dr Huq in June 2025, during which she highlighted the disparity in access across the UK. She drew on her own family’s experience of prostate cancer, as well as the case of her constituent Peter Treadgold, who had been unable to obtain the drug despite living with long-term non-metastatic disease.
Speaking during the announcement, Mr Streeting said Dr Huq’s campaigning had been instrumental in prompting the change. He described her as “a massive champion” for patients and said her advocacy had helped put the issue firmly on the government’s agenda.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, with around 50,000 diagnoses each year in the UK and 1.4 million worldwide. High-profile figures including Stephen Fry and Robert De Niro have spoken publicly about their experiences with the disease.
According to Prostate Cancer UK, more than 7,000 men in England are expected to begin treatment with abiraterone once it becomes available in the coming weeks. The charity estimates that one in five of those patients will avoid disease progression as a result of taking the drug.
During the Commons debate, Dr Huq cited research suggesting that two years of treatment with abiraterone could halve the death rate among men with locally advanced prostate cancer.
Responding to the government’s decision, Dr Huq said the move was deeply personal. She said she and her sister, television presenter Konnie Huq, lost their father to prostate cancer and witnessed his declining health over a decade. She described the announcement as “fantastic news” and a fitting tribute both to her father and to her constituent who raised the issue with her.
The Office of Dr Rupa Huq MP said the decision marked a significant step forward for cancer care in England and highlighted the UK’s role in developing treatments with global impact.
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