Strong Ph II data for Algeta's Alpharadin

Oslo, Norway-based radionuclide cancer drug specialist Algeta has reported strong biomarker data from a Phase II trial of its lead product candidate Alpharadin (radium-223), which it says demonstrates its potential as a treatment for bone metastases in hormone-refractory prostate cancer.

Data from the double-blind placebo-controlled trial were presented at the 2006 Prostate Cancer Symposium in San Francisco, California, USA. Algeta's novel radiopharmaceutical, which is based on the alpha particle emitter radium-223 and naturally targets skeletal metastases, produced a "highly" statistically-significant decrease of bone-alkaline phosphatase compared to placebo (p<0.001). The firm also says that "interesting" prostate specific antigen results were observed, with a "significantly better" PSA response in patients given Alpharadin versus placebo.