What's it for? Fighting prostate cancer

Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research are hailing a new drug to treat aggressive prostate cancer as potentially the most significant advance in the field for 60 years. It works by blocking the hormones which fuel the cancer, and takes the form of a one-a-day pill.

Abiraterone can potentially be used to treat up to 80% of patients, who are resistant to chemotherapy, against the deadly form of the disease. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, with 35,000 new cases and 10,000 deaths each year.

When's it expected by? Following more trials it should be available around 2010.