Amgen reports positive breast cancer data for Xgeva

Amgen's cancer-related bone disease treatment Xgeva has demonstrated the benefits it offers to breast cancer sufferers in a new clinical study.

The manufacturer has published data from a pivotal phase III trial of the denosumab-based treatment, in which its efficacy in preventing skeletal-related events (SREs) was compared to a leading alternative.

It was found that Amgen's product provided a superior performance to the control drug, delaying the onset of SREs by around five months, while also reducing the number of patients who experienced pathologic fractures or radiation to bone.

The results underline the potential advantages offered by Xgeva, which is the first new treatment in this specification for advanced cancer patients with bone metastases in nearly a decade.

Dr Allison Stopeck, associate professor of medicine at the Arizona Cancer Center, said: "I feel confident that Xgeva can provide patients with advanced breast cancer that have developed bone metastases an excellent option to prevent debilitating and costly bone complications."

Last month, the firm published new data on its immune thrombocytopenia treatment Nplate, demonstrating its superior clinical performance to the current standard of care.