Johnson & Johnson on Saturday said its experimental once-daily oral prostate cancer drug caused tumours to disappear or shrink in an early-stage trial.
J&J had gained access to the drug through its $3.05 billion deal to buy Halda Therapeutics last year.
Here are more details:
- The company was testing JNJ-6143 in patients with advanced prostate cancer who had received multiple treatments
- Its novel approach selectively kills cancer cells by interfering with a protein they need to survive
- In the trial, 77 % of 31 evaluable patients receiving the 50-milligram dose saw their PSA levels, a blood marker used to monitor prostate cancer, fall by at least 50 %; in 48 % of patients, PSA levels fell by at least 90 %
- among patients whose tumours could be measured using imaging, 69 % had a confirmed complete or partial response
- "It adds a new mechanism of action to J&J's prostate cancer portfolio," a Johnson & Johnson spokesperson said
- Common side effects were nausea and elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels. One patient discontinued treatment due to adverse effects
- The data were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress
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