New research sponsored by the makers of the anti-cancer drug Xtandi has revealed the medication can be used to treat more than one type of prostate cancer.
Clinical Trial Successes
Xtandi, also known as enzalutamide, is an anti-cancer drug currently only available in the United States for treating castration-resistant prostate cancer. However, Astellas, the Japanese pharmacology company that developed the drug, recently announced that clinical trials of Xtandi have revealed that the medication is also effective in treating metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer as well.
Specifically, Phase 3 of the ARCHES trial found that using Xtandi in combination with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) was successful in improving survival rates of patients diagnosed with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate tumors. Radiographic progression or death risk was decreased by 61 percent when compared to treating these types of cancer with ADT alone, showcasing the potential of the drug when used to target hormone-sensitive prostate cancers that have shown evidence of spreading past the prostate.
Implications for the New Discovery
There are a number of implications for this new discovery, chief of which being that Astellas is quite likely to petition the US Food and Drug Administration to approve Xtandi to treat hormone-sensitive metastatic prostate cancers. This is a necessary first step that must be taken before doctors can begin prescribing the medication to patients.
The company has also expressed a desire to approach international drug regulatory agencies to change their position worldwide. As it is in the US, Xtandi is marketed in Japan for castration-resistant prostate cancer; it is also available to European Union member countries under a similar designation. Pushing to have enzalutamide given an additional classification could allow the drug to save more lives in the fight against prostate cancer.
An Eye on the Horizon
Based on the fact that Xtandi is already available in the US for one type of prostate cancer, and that the ARCHES clinical trial results have shown such a major impact on reducing risk factors, it’s likely only a matter of time before the FDA approves enzalutamide further. This is good news for prostate cancer patients in the United States looking for new and effective treatment options.
This process is likely to take some time, though. It may be some months before the bureaucratic machinery of a government agency like the FDA can get rolling, so keep an eye on the horizon for more news on Xtandi to emerge in the near future.
