Astellas reports positive data for prostate cancer drug

Astellas and clinical partner Medivation have announced the publication of new data that underlines the clinical benefits of their new prostate cancer therapy enzalutamide.

Data from the phase III Affirm trial has appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine, showing that enzalutamide delivered a statistically significant benefit in overall survival compared to placebo.

Patients enrolled for the Affirm study were men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who have been previously treated with docetaxel-based chemotherapy, with a 37 percent reduction in the risk of death observed.

Co-principal investigator Dr Howard Scher, chief of the genitourinary oncology service at Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, said: "The Affirm data represents an important body of clinical evidence on enzalutamide … as a potential new treatment that can prolong the lives of men with advanced prostate cancer."

This comes in the same week that Astellas announced the appointment of Dr Susan Wood as its new European senior director for market access.