Zytiga overtaking Provenge in MCRPC

Despite no current approval of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) subsidiary Janssen’s Zytiga (abiraterone) in asymptomatic/minimally symptomatic metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (MCRPC), 31% of US surveyed physicians report decreased use of Dendreon’s Nasdaq: DNDN) Provenge (sipuleucel-T) because Zytiga is available for later lines of treatment, according to a new survey of 106 US urologists and medical oncologists from BioTrends Research, a Decision Resources unit.

The US Food and Drug Administration-approved indication for Zytiga in docetaxel-treated MCRPC patients means that more surveyed oncologists than urologists have prescribed Zytiga. The majority of medical oncologists have prescribed Zytiga compared with less than a quarter of surveyed urologists. Oncologists typically manage the treatment of symptomatic MCRPC patients at the point at which chemotherapy is initiated, but urologists manage hormonal therapies in earlier lines of prostate cancer treatment.

Surveyed urologists and oncologists agree that urologists now have a greater role in the treatment of MCRPC as a result of the launch of the novel hormonal therapy, Zytiga. However, urologists and oncologists have differing opinions about the future role of urologists in MCRPC treatment.