Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Dendreon prostate cancer vaccine improves survival

Dendreon prostate cancer vaccine improves survival - Dendreon Corp said on Tuesday that its experimental Provenge prostate cancer treatment improved overall survival in men with advanced forms of the disease, bolstering the chances of it becoming the first approved therapeutic vaccine for cancer.

The Phase III clinical trial met the main study goal of improving survival, prompting Dendreon to say it will seek U.S. regulatory approval of Provenge in the fourth quarter.

'The successful outcome from the Phase 3 IMPACT study provides validation of the long-pursued goal of harnessing the human immune system against a patient's own cancer,' Dendreon Chief Executive Mitchell Gold said in a statement.

Unlike traditional vaccines that prevent disease, Provenge treats it.

The study included 512 men with late-stage prostate cancer who have not benefited from drugs that sharply lower testosterone -- the male sex hormone that fuels progression of the cancer.

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