J&J drug helps in last-ditch prostate cancer fight

LONDON (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson's experimental drug abiraterone can help men with advanced prostate cancer who have run out of standard treatments options, according to results of a mid-stage clinical trial.

The drug, which J&J took on after buying Cougar Biotechnology for about $970 million last year, has previously shown good results in men who did not receive chemotherapy.

The latest Phase II study tested it in patients after treatment with both hormone therapy and Sanofi-Aventis's Taxotere, or docetaxel, the only currently approved chemotherapy to show benefit in late-stage prostate cancer.

British researchers said on Tuesday that about half of the men given the drug experienced a substantial reduction in levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in their blood, the standard measure of prostate cancer activity.

Three-quarters also had a drop in the number of circulating tumor cells, another measurement linked to increased survival rates, and five of the 47 patients were still taking the drug and getting benefit three years after the trial started.

Abiraterone, which is now in final-stage Phase III testing, was licensed by Cougar in 2004 from BTG and the British biotechnology company will enjoy a royalty on sales if it is a commercial success.

Consensus forecasts suggest the drug will generate worldwide sales of $231 million in 2013, according to Thomson Pharma.

"Docetaxel is an important drug but it extends life for an average of just two to three months, so there is a desperate need to improve treatment options for late-stage prostate cancer patients," said chief investigator Dr Johann de Bono of Britain's Institute of Cancer Research and Royal Marsden Hospital.

"In this trial, abiraterone shrank or stabilized men's cancers for an average of almost six months, which is a very impressive result."

The findings were reported on Tuesday in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

(Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by David Cowell)