Medivation, Astellas begin prostate gland cancer drug analyse

Medivation and Astellas pharmaceutical company have proclaimed the discourse of first patient in a stage 2 study of MDV3100, a triple-acting oral exam androgen receptor antagonist, in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer patients who have shaped up while on LHRH analogue therapy or accompanying surgical castration.

The stage 2 study is configured to compare MDV3100 with bicalutamide - a typically used anti-androgen, and is expected to enroll approximately 370 patients in North America and European Union.

The basic endpoint of the trial is progression-free survival.

Astellas Pharma Global Development president Steven Ryder said this is the first of two Phase 2 trials in earlier stage disease i.e. being initiated to evaluate the potential benefit of MDV3100 in a broad spectrum of prostate cancer patients.

"The second of our new Phase 2 trials will analyse MDV3100 in an even earlier-stage population, and we expect to start the test in the first half of this year," Ryder said.

MDV3100 decelerates development and induces cell death in bicalutamide-resistant cancers via three complementary actions - blocks testosterone binding to the androgen receptor, impedes movement of the androgen receptor to the nucleus of prostate cancer cells (nuclear translocation) and inhibits binding to DNA.