For the Treatment of Metastatic Castrate Resistant Prostate Cancer, Surveyed Oncologists and MCOs Are Highly Satisfied wit

However, Oncologists and MCOs are Dissatisfied With the Overall Costs of Treatment With Provenge, According to Findings from Decision Resources

BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Decision Resources, one of the world’s leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, for the treatment of metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer (MCRPC), surveyed oncologists and surveyed managed care organizations’ (MCOs) pharmacy directors are highly satisfied with the safety and tolerability of Dendreon’s Provenge when compared to other currently available therapies. Although only a minority of oncologists selected Provenge—likely owing to its recent market entry and limited availability—those who did select Provenge as the safest and most tolerable currently available therapy are most satisfied with the agent’s hematologic toxicities, which is one of the most significant safety attributes shaping prescribing habits.

The findings from Decision Resources’ analysis of the prostate cancer drug market reveal that docetaxel (Sanofi-Aventis’s Taxotere)/prednisone (Sanofi-Aventis’s Cortancyl, Merck & Co.’s Decortin, generics)—the sales-leading regimen in 2009 for MCRPC—is widely used in the first-line symptomatic setting, where there are few widely available effective therapeutic alternatives. However, since its launch last year in the United States, Provenge is gaining use prior to chemotherapy despite its premium-price. In addition to hematological toxicities, surveyed oncologists are most satisfied with Provenge’s survival achievements when compared to other currently available treatments but oncologists and MCOs are dissatisfied with the overall costs of treatment with Provenge.

“Johnson & Johnson’s abiraterone, which will be prescribed in the asymptomatic setting, could threaten the patient share of Provenge, which is currently the only therapy specifically approved in this patient population in the United States,” said Decision Resources Senior Analyst Andrew Merron, Ph.D. “Abiraterone is set to become a popular treatment option for asymptomatic patients, owing to benefits in efficacy and delivery compared with Provenge.”

With respect to overall cost, most surveyed oncologists also indicate that they are satisfied with the accessibility of docetaxel/prednisone. However, due to its low price and generic availability, surveyed oncologists and MCOs are most satisfied with mitoxantrone (EMD Serono/Pfizer/Meda’s Novantrone, generics)/prednisone in comparison to other currently available treatments for MCRPC. The imminent availability of generic docetaxel will contribute to a greater level of satisfaction for docetaxel/prednisone as a lower-cost generic alternative to branded therapies.

The findings also reveal that the overall prostate cancer drug market will more than double over the next decade, from nearly $4 billion in 2009 to $8.9 billion in 2019. The launch of 11 emerging therapies will drive the growth in the market as sales of emerging therapies will total 60 percent of the total prostate cancer drug market in 2019. The high sales of the emerging therapies are due to the expectation that these agents can improve overall survival in the MCRPC setting, an achievement attained only by Provenge, docetaxel and Sanofi-Aventis’s Jevtana. Additionally, in October 2010, abiraterone also demonstrated significant improvement in overall survival in the chemotherapy-pretreated MCRPC setting. Although several other agents appeared promising in early-stage development, they failed in Phase III clinical trials, highlighting the challenge of this achievement.

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Decision Resources provides a comprehensive view of what is happening in a specific drug market now and in the decade ahead. The research includes analysis of the unmet need and near-term drug development opportunities that exist within a drug market powered by primary research from physicians and payers. The robust market forecast and opportunities analysis is comprised of the Pharmacor 2011 advisory service and the DecisionBase 2011 report series.

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Decision Resources (www.decisionresources.com) is a world leader in market research publications, advisory services and consulting designed to help clients shape strategy, allocate resources and master their chosen markets. Decision Resources is a Decision Resources, Inc. company.

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KEYWORDS:   United States  North America  Massachusetts

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:   Health  Biotechnology  Oncology  General Health

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