Satraplatin cuts Pain and PSA level at Ph III

USA-based drugmaker Pharmion and Germany's GPC Biotech say that data from a Phase III trial of satraplatin, an anticancer drug that is under assessment as a second-line therapy for hormone-refractory prostate cancer, indicate that the agent brings about a statistically-significant reduction in pain response. Treated patients also achieved a drop in prostate-specific antigen levels, which is a key diagnostic indicator of the disease.

The findings, which were announced at the 22nd annual European Association of Urology Congress in Berlin, Germany, are from an updated analysis of the SPARC trial in which patients with advanced disease received either satraplatin plus prednisone, or prednisone alone.

In the trial, pain response was measured using a combination of pain intensity, assessed according to McGill-Melzack criteria, and patient analgesic use. The results showed that 24.2% of the satraplatin plus prednisone group achieved a reduction in pain response, compared with 13.8% of the control arm.