Pfizer’s Cancer Drug Combo Improves Overall Survival in Late-stage Study

(Reuters) – Pfizer said on Thursday a combination of its drugs, Talzenna and Xtandi, helped prolong the lives of patients with a type of advanced prostate cancer in a late-stage study.

The drug combination showed a significant improvement in the overall survival in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) regardless of the presence of a mutation, compared to Xtandi alone, Pfizer said.

Overall survival indicates the period of time patients lived after their diagnosis or the start of treatment.

mCRPC is an advanced stage of the disease where the cancer has spread to other parts of the body and is usually associated with poor prognosis. About 10%–20% of prostate cancer patients develop mCRPC within 5 to 7 years of diagnosis, according to Pfizer.

The Talzenna-Xtandi combination was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last year to treat mCRPC patients with a type of genetic mutation.

Pfizer said it plans to share the results with global health authorities to potentially update Talzenna’s label.

The FDA had also approved AstraZeneca’s Lynparza in combination with hormone therapy abiraterone last year to treat mCRPC patients with a type of mutation.

(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)