Astellas and Medivation report positive prostate cancer trial results

Astellas and Medivation have announced new clinical data demonstrating the benefits of the drug enzalutamide in the treatment of prostate cancer.

Final results from the Prevail study have showed the safety and efficacy of the therapy among patients with chemotherapy-naive metastatic prostate cancer who have failed androgen deprivation therapy and have few or no symptoms.

The drug was able to deliver a statistically significant reduction both in the risk of death and a delay in cancer progression among patients in the trial, thus meeting its primary and secondary efficacy endpoints.

Full findings from the study are being shared at an American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in San Francisco today (January 30th 2014).

Dr Sef Kurstjens, chief medical officer of Astellas, said: "Astellas is committed to being a global category leader in the fight against cancer by providing patients with treatment options, such as enzalutamide, to manage their disease."

Last month, the companies commenced the Prosper trial, which will evaluate the safety and efficacy of enzalutamide in patients with non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.