Positive results in Phase III study of MDV 3100 (Medivation Inc) in Prostate Cancer patients

Results of a Phase III clinical trial of the drug MDV 3100 (enzalutamide), from Medivation Inc, show the drug extends life by an average five months in the most advanced stages of Prostate Cancer.

The study, AFFIRM, followed 1199 patients whose cancer that had progressed despite both hormonal and chemotherapy treatments, with 2/3 of patients receiving the drug MDV 3100 versus control. Median overall survival for patients in the treatment arm of the trial was 18.4 months compared to 13.6 months for patients in the placebo arm. In addition to prolonged survival, patients given MDV 3100 showed meaningful improvement in other measures including PSA blood levels, an increase from 3.0 months to 8.3 months in time until PSA progression, and an increase from 2.9 months to 8.3 months in overall progression-free survival.

This study proves that androgen-targeted treatments continue to be relevant later into the disease process than previously believed, according to Thomas Flaig, MD, medical director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center, and co-author of the article describing the results published in the NEJM. See: "Increased Survival with Enzalutamide in Prostate Cancer after Chemotherapy," by Howard I. Scher et al, NEJM August 15, 2012 (10.1056/NEJMoa1207506)