Study: Jevtana combined with Novantrone reduced death risk in prostate cancer patients

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. Data published in the latest issue of medical journal The Lancet showed that a recently approved drug reduced the risk of death in men with a certain form of prostate cancer by more than a quarter.

French drug maker Sanofi-Aventis said results of the phase-3 “TROPIC” trial indicated that Jevtana (cabazitaxel) combined with prednisone or Merck KGaA’s Novantrone (mitoxantrone) reduced by 30% the risk of death in men with advanced castration-resistant prostate cancer whose disease had progressed after receiving Sanofi’s Taxotere (docetaxel).

“Jevtana is the first approved therapy to fill a critical gap among patients with the most advanced stage of prostate cancer and is the first therapeutic option for those patients shown to prolong survival,” said Oliver Sartor, Tulane Medical School professor and chief investigator for the trial in North America.