Johnson & Johnson Shows Promise In High Risk Prostate Cancer-Reuters

Reuters reported that Johnson & Johnson advanced prostate cancer drug, Zytiga, to hormone therapy before surgery has been shown for the first time to eradicate tumors in some men with high-risk forms of the disease. The mid-stage trial found that six months of treatment with the combination therapy completely or nearly eliminated the cancer in a third of patients, all of whom had localized, aggressive cancer. Zytiga is already approved to treat advanced prostate cancer in patients who previously received chemotherapy. J&J expects to file in the second half of this year for U.S. regulatory approval of the drug as a treatment for men with metastatic prostate cancer who have not yet received chemotherapy. The Phase II trial looked at the effect of adding Zytiga to Lupron, a drug designed to trick the testicles into ceasing production of testosterone. Of the 29 men who received the drugs for six months before having prostate surgery, the prostates of three had no evidence of cancer and seven had nearly complete elimination of the disease. In the group of men treated for three months before their surgery, 15% had little to no detectable cancer in the prostate. Researchers said the therapy was well-tolerated by both groups. They reported five cases of elevated liver enzymes and three patients with lower-than-normal levels of potassium.