Amgen's prostate cancer drug more effective than competitor, study concludes

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. An investigational drug made by Amgen for treating prostate cancer that had spread to the bones worked better than an existing drug made by Novartis, according to late-stage clinical trial results that Amgen announced Monday.

Amgen was comparing denosumab with Novartis’ Zometa (zoledronic acid) in a phase 3 trial of 1,901 patients with prostate cancer. The biotech company said the drug, a monoclonal antibody, worked better in delaying the amount of time it took for patients to suffer bone complications, while adverse side effects occurred at similar rates. The trial is one of three involving a total of more than 5,700 cancer patients.

“These phase 3 results demonstrate the ability of denosumab to delay bone complications in patients suffering from metastatic prostate cancer,” Amgen EVP research and development Roger Perlmutter stated. “Denosumab has shown remarkable consistency in reducing the serious complications of bone metastases.”