We have a number of newer hormone pathway drugs now available to treat men with metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Researchers have shown that prostate specific antigen (PSA) response can be used as a pharmaco-dynamic end-point that may help identify men with early resistance to these new drugs. They found that there is clinical [...]
The cost of Enzalutamide (Xtandi) in the United States is being challenged by Knowledge Ecology International (KEI), a public interest advocacy group. The average US wholesale price of Xtandi in 2015 was $88 per capsule. That can add up to $129,000 annual cost per man. There are significant issues related to high costs of treatment. [...]
The phase III trials for both Xtandi and Zytiga were similar. Both trials investigated men who progressed or died against placebo. Only 14% of men taking Xtandi during the trial progressed or died compared to 40% of the men in the placebo group. In the phase III trial of Zytiga 28% of the men [...]
NICE, which serves as a cost-effectiveness agency has said in a draft guidance that it supports the use of Xtandi (enzalutamide) in men whose prostate cancer has spread after the failure of first-line therapy (i.e. ADT), but for whom chemotherapy is not yet necessary. The agency found that Xtandi can delay the need for chemotherapy, [...]
Once a clinical trial has been completed, especially when the trial is positive, researchers will “data mine” the published information. The published results provide additional opportunities to evaluate the data in different ways than the trial was originally designed. This new data can be very interesting and informative, however it also needs to be considered [...]