Johnson & Johnson: Experimental Oral Drug Shrinks Prostate Cancer Tumors in Early Trial

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) said on Saturday that its experimental once-daily oral drug made tumors disappear or shrink in patients with advanced prostate cancer in an early-stage clinical trial.

Key Findings

• The trial tested JNJ-6143 in patients who had already received multiple prior treatments.
• The drug uses a new mechanism that selectively kills cancer cells by disabling a protein they need to survive.
• In the 50 mg dose group (31 evaluable patients):
  • PSA levels (the blood marker used to track the disease) fell by at least 50% in 77% of patients.
  • PSA fell by at least 90% in 48%.
• Among patients whose tumors could be measured by imaging, 69% achieved a confirmed complete or partial response.
• Common side effects were nausea and elevated cholesterol and triglycerides. Only one patient stopped treatment because of side effects.

The Halda Therapeutics Deal and ESMO

J&J obtained the drug through its $3.05 billion acquisition of Halda Therapeutics last year. The data were described as adding a new mechanism of action to the company’s prostate cancer portfolio and were presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) congress.

Bottom Line

These are promising early results for a once-daily oral drug, but they remain preliminary and further trials are needed to confirm efficacy and safety.