AZ's HRPC drug yields 45% drop in death risk

AstraZeneca's ZD4054 could improve overall survival in men with metastatic hormone-resistant prostate cancer who were asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic for pain, according to mid-stage study data published in the December issue of European Urology.

Patients who received ZD4054 10mg once-daily saw a 45% reduction in the risk of death compared to placebo. To further evaluate ZD4054's potential, the Anglo-Swedish drug major has initiated the Phase III ENTHUSE program, consisting of three studies that will begin this year. The first of these is aimed at investigating the efficacy of ZD4054 in metastatic HRPC, while the second will look at its role in non-metastatic HRPC. A third trial will evaluate ZD4054 in combination with Sanofi-Aventis' Taxotere (docetaxel) for metastatic HRPC.

The primary endpoint of the Phase II EPOC study was progression-free survival, which did not show a statistically-significant difference between ZD4054 and placebo treatment arms, AZ noted.