Provenge induces long-term immune responses

US drugmaker Dendreon has reported results from the late-stage PROTECT study of Provenge (sipuleucel-T), showing that the cancer vaccine  induces long-term memory immune responses that are durable and can be  maintained following boosting.

Presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer  Research in Denver, Colorado, the results of the study also indicate  that CD54 upregulation on Antigen Presenting Cells, a measure of  potency, is a correlate of immune activation.

Last week, Dendreon's share price rocketed after it reported that  Provenge met the primary endpoint of the IMPACT trial and improved  overall survival in men with metastatic androgen-independent prostate  cancer (Marketletter April 15).