Oct 24 (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson on Saturday said its experimental once-daily oral prostate cancer drug caused tumors to disappear or shrink in an early-stage trial.
J&J had gained access to the drug through its $3.05 billion deal to buy Halda Therapeutics last year.
Here are more details:
• The company was testing JNJ-6143 in patients with advanced prostate cancer who had received multiple treatments
• Its novel approach selectively kills cancer cells by interfering with a protein they need to survive
• In the trial, 77% of 31 evaluable patients receiving the 50-milligram dose saw their PSA levels, a blood marker used to monitor prostate cancer, fall by at least 50%; in 48% of patients, PSA levels fell by at least 90%
• Among patients whose tumors could be measured using imaging, 75% had a confirmed complete or partial response
• "JNJ-6143 could be a game changer for the treatment of prostate cancer and for JNJ’s oncology franchise prospects," Leerink Partners analyst David Risinger said
• "It adds a new mechanism of action to J&J's prostate cancer portfolio," a Johnson & Johnson spokesperson said
• Common side effects were nausea and elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels. One patient discontinued treatment due to adverse effects
• The data were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress
(Reporting by Sneha S K in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed)