New Faster-Acting Prostate Cancer Drug Hailed As "Significant Advance" In Improving Quality Of Life For Patients, UK

Main Category: Prostate / Prostate Cancer
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology;  Urology / Nephrology
Article Date: 25 Jun 2009 - 2:00 PDT

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FIRMAGON® (degarelix) a new fast-acting hormone treatment for advanced prostate cancer is being offically launched in the UK yesterday at the British Association of Urological Surgeons Annual Meeting in Glasgow.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, and over 35,000 cases a year (1) are diagnosed in the UK , with 10,239 men dying in 2007.(2)

Prostate cancer is fuelled by the male hormone testosterone. The most widely used hormone treatments slow cancer cell growth by lowering production of testosterone in the testicles.

FIRMAGON® is given as a simple injection beneath the skin and acts in a unique way by forming a self gelling depot. It rapidly blocks hormone receptors in the pituitary gland, taking almost immediate effect. This is unlike existing hormone treatments which take up to four weeks to reduce testosterone to the required levels.(3)

Trials have shown that the new drug can reduce levels of the male hormone, testosterone, below 0.5ng/ml within three days in more than 96 per cent of patients (4). This makes FIRMAGON ® as effective as surgery to remove the testicles,

Mr John Anderson , consultant urological surgeon at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital says: 'This is an important new step for the treatment of advanced hormone-dependent prostate cancer, with FIRMAGON ® offering a new option and hope for many patients.' 'Our goal is to achieve fast and sustained reduction in tesosterone levels and FIRMAGON® offers a rapid impact which is comparable to the immediacy achieved by surgery.'

FIRMAGON® can also improve quality of life for patients by avoiding the initial surges in testosterone associated with the most common treatment currently used.Testosterone surges in some patients with advanced disease can cause tumours to grow rapidly resulting in increased pain, obstruction of the urethra and in severe cases paralysis due to spinal cord compression.(5, 6) Doctors currently prescribe anti-androgen therapy alongside hormone treatments to combat this, but this approach, means additional complication and is associated with the possibility of more side effects.

FIRMAGON ® doesn't cause these initial hormone surges (7) and so doctors don't have to prescribe anti-androgen therapy to conteract this, avoiding associated side effects and offering an effective monotherapy.

In clinical trials FIRMAGON® is generally well-tolerated. The most common side effects in clinical trials were due to the expected physiological effects of testosterone suppression,(such as hot flushes and weight increase) or injection site pain or reddening .(8)

A new free DVD 'Progress for a Healthy Lifestyle: A Guide for Men on Hormone Therapy for Prostate Cancer' aimed at patients has been produced by Ferring Pharmaceuticals who hold the marketing authorisation for FIRMAGON®, in partnership with the British Uro-oncology Group and ProstateUK, to promote a holistic approach to living with prostate cancer. The DVD features information about hormone treatment but also gives advice on healthy lifestyle inlcuidng excercise and how to eat a prostate-healthy diet with recipes from celebrity chef Brian Turner. It also includes practical advice from top medical experts on how to cope with some of the issues of living with hormone therapy such as sex problems and hot flushes. It also features an interview with BBC radio DJ "Whispering" Bob Harris, who has received treatment for prostate cancer.

For more information about Firmagon®, prostate cancer, diet and exercise, please go to the Prostate UK website - http://www.prostateuk.org/

References

(1) Incidence on prostate cancer in UK

(2) Statistics on deaths from prostate cancer in 2007

(3) 2007 Update of ASCO Practice Guideline for the Initial Hormonal Management of Androgen-Sensitive Metastatic, Recurrent, or Progressive Prostate Cancer: Guideline Summary

(4) Boccon-Gibod L, Klotz L, Schroder FH et al. Degarelix compared to leuprolide depot 7.5mg in a 12 month randomised open lable parrallel group phase III study in prostate cancer patients.Abstract 537 presented at the 23rd EAU Congress, Milan, Italy 2008.

(5) Labrie F, Dupont A, Belanger A, et al: Flutamide eliminates the risk of disease flare in prostatic cancer patients treated with a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist. J Urol 138:804-806, 1987.

(6) el-Rayes BF, Hussain MH: Hormonal therapy for prostate cancer: Past, present and future. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther 2:37-47, 2002.

(7) Anderson J et al. Management of advanced prostate cancer, can we improve on androgen deprivation therapy/ BJU International 2008; 101 (12):1497-1501.

(8) FIRMAGON® Summary of Product Characteristics February 2009

Source
Prostate UK