AstraZeneca’s Chemotherapy Treatment Improves Prostate Cancer

AstraZeneca recently announced that its combination chemotherapy treatment improved radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS) compared to standard-of-care for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients.

The PROpel Phase 3 trial studied the safety, efficacy, and tolerability of AstraZeneca’s Lynparza versus placebo when given in addition to Zytiga (abiraterone) in men with mCRPC. Patients in the study did not previously receive chemotherapy or NHAs in the first-line setting.

The study uncovered that Lynparza combined with abiraterone plus prednisone reduced the risk of disease progression or death by a third compared to abiraterone plus prednisone in mCRPC patients, regardless of their biomarker status.

Additionally, a predefined interim analysis found that the combination treatment reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 34 percent versus abiraterone alone. Median progression-free survival was 24.8 months versus 16.6 for abiraterone alone.

Additional data from efficacy endpoints further support the treatment benefit of Lynparza and abiraterone compared to abiraterone alone in the overall trial population.

“This Lynparza combination has the potential to afford first-line patients more time without disease progression while also maintaining their quality of life,” Susan Galbraith, executive vice president of oncology research and development at AstraZeneca, said in the announcement.

“The PROpel results are impressive because active comparator trials set a high bar and, in this trial, Lynparza plus abiraterone showed a significant clinical improvement when compared to an active standard of care in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, regardless of whether they have an HRR gene mutation,” Galbraith continued.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in male patients, causing nearly 375,000 deaths in 2020. Patients with advanced prostate cancer generally have a poor prognosis, and the five-year survival rate remains low.

In June 2021, Bayer entered into a pharma acquisition death with Noria Therapeutics and PSMA Therapeutics to expand its prostate cancer therapies pipeline.

The acquisition broadens Bayer’s oncology portfolio of targeted alpha therapies (TATs), including Xofigo. In 2013, FDA approved Xofigo to treat patients with mCRPC.

Specifically, Xofigo is intended for men with mCRPC with symptomatic bone metastases and no known visceral metastatic disease. Bayer’s drug program heavily focuses on the treatment of prostate cancer. Currently, Xofigo is the only approved TAT.