Amgen's denosumab was more effective than Novartis' Zometa (zoledronic acid) in delaying fractures in men with advanced prostate cancer, according to results of 1,901-patient Phase III trial. In fact, denosumab outperformed Zometa by 18 percent in delaying the time before patients suffered a fracture or needed surgery or radiation treatment to ease bone pain, Bloomberg reports.
The results "demonstrate the ability of denosumab to delay bony complications in patients suffering from metastatic prostate cancer," Roger Perlmutter, executive vice president of R&D at Amgen, says in statement. "Denosumab has shown remarkable consistency in reducing the serious complications of bone metastases. [The] results greatly enhance our understanding of the efficacy of denosumab in multiple different tumor types."
This study is the final of three pivotal trials in more than 5,700 advanced cancer patients investigating the potential of denosumab to treat bone metastases. Results from the previous two trials were presented in last September. These three studies will form the basis of the clinical evidence package for denosumab in advanced cancer, which will be submitted to regulatory authorities later this year.
Amgen rose $2.42, or 4.2 percent, to $59.88, Bloomberg reports.
- check out the Amgen release
- read the Bloomberg coverage
Editor's Note: The original article incorrectly named Roche as the maker of Zometa. It has been corrected to read Novartis' Zometa. We regret this error.