AS1404 improves PSA response in study

UK-based drugmaker Antisoma says that data from a Phase II trial of AS1404 in hormone-refractory prostate cancer indicate that the agent brings about a higher prostate-specific antigen response rate to docetaxel-based therapy than docetaxel alone. The findings were presented at the Tumor Microenvironment meeting in Boston, USA, by the firm's chief medical officer, Gary Acton.

The blood concentration of PSA protein is used in both the initial diagnosis of prostate cancer and as a means of assessing the disease's response to treatment.

Initial analysis revealed that 57% of those receiving AS1404 plus docetaxel showed a higher-rate rate of PSA response, defined as a 50% or greater reduction in PSA from baseline levels, than those who were treated with docetaxel alone (35%). In addition, safety data, also presented at the meeting, showed that the agent was generally well tolerated in combination with docetaxel-based chemotherapy, and did not exacerbate its side effects.