(Bloomberg) -- Bayer AG’s fast-selling prostate cancer drug reduced the risk of the disease progressing in data that could see it receive approval for wider use.
Nubeqa alongside androgen deprivation therapy reduced the risk of death or cancer progression by 46% compared with just receiving androgen deprivation therapy, according to full data from a late stage study. If approval is secured it could mean doctors could prescribe the drug for patients both with and without chemotherapy, expanding treatment options.
Bayer’s pharma division has experienced fast growth with Nubeqa, which generated €380 million ($422 million) in sales in the first half of 2024, up 89% from the prior year. That’s helping the division maintain a little growth even as it loses patent protection for best-selling bloodthinner Xarelto.
The data presented Monday at the European Society for Medical Oncology’s congress in Barcelona, looked at Nubeqa in patients with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer that has spread, and confirmed earlier positive topline results announced in July.
Nubeqa, which first launched in 2019 and was developed by Bayer and Orion Corporation, is already approved in the US when used alongside both androgen deprivation therapy and docetaxel, a type of chemotherapy. This trial didn’t include docetaxel. Bayer plans to submit the new data to health authorities globally, aiming to secure approval for this expanded use.
While there are now multiple treatment options for patients with prostate cancer, there has been the need for more studies as there are still limitations in terms of safety considerations and toxicity in relation to existing treatments, said Fred Saad, principal investigator in the trial and director of genitourinary oncology at the University of Montreal Hospital Center.
While overall survival data was still immature from this study, Saad told journalists that there was a clear delay in the time taken for patients to progress to a more advanced form of prostate cancer or for them to have to start other therapies.
--With assistance from Tim Loh.
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