An experimental drug from Germany’s Bayer and Norwegian biotech Algeta has been proven to show prolonged life of patients with advanced prostate cancer is a major step forward in treatment of the disease, according to cancer experts.
A new drug, Alpharadin, which include minute doses of high-level alpha radiation, proved so successful that researchers found it unethical not to offer the treatment to all 922 patients. The drug, Radium-223 Chloride – known as Alpharadin TM – will also do less damage to surrounding tissue because it accurately targets calls, the doctors said.
Since 90 percent of patients with advanced prostate cancer have tumor growth spreading to bone, and there are no effective treatments, alpha radiation delivers highly charged doses of radiation to these secondary tumor sites in the bone. The drug is so targeted that the side effects are minimal compared to conventional treatments. The radium used is similar to calcium and sticks to bone where new bone is being formed. This prolongs the life of the patient.
Prostate cancer represents the second most common cancer in men after lung cancer, totaling about 255,000 male deaths annually.
Sales of Alpharadin and its performance is particularly important for Algeta, and its estimated sales could reach $662 million by 2015, according to consensus forecasts from Thomson Reuters Pharma.
