Amgen publishes positive new Xgeva trial data

Amgen has published positive new clinical data from a phase III clinical trial of Xgeva, its treatment for skeletal-related events in patients with bone metastases from solid tumours.

In the new phase III trial, the drug was evaluated as a means of increasing rates of bone metastasis-free survival among men with castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer that has not yet spread to the bone.

Data from the study showed that Xgeva delivered significant improvements in accordance with this criterion compared to placebo, thus meeting its primary endpoint.

Thus far, this compound has been trialled among more than 7,000 patients with cancer and has been shown to offer improvements in preventing bone complications compared to the standard of care.

Dr Matthew Smith, director of the Genitourinary Malignancies Program at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center in Boston, said: "Xgeva is the first and only bone targeted therapy that has demonstrated the ability to significantly reduce the risk of bone metastasis in men with prostate cancer."

This comes after the company published further phase III data earlier this year in which Xgeva demonstrated the advantages it offers compared to a leading alternative.