Dendreon Corporation saw its share price jump by more than 9% during trading on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange yesterday after the company said that Provenge – its investigational immunotherapy for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer – significantly improved survival in men with prostate cancer in a late-stage clinical trial.
Patients treated with Provenge in the Phase III study – known as D9901 – lived an average of 4.5 months longer than those receiving placebo. In addition, 34% of patients receiving Provenge were alive at 36 months, compared to 11% of placebo-receivers. Final data will be presented at a US cancer symposium tomorrow.
The firm, which notes that prostate cancer is the number one non-skin cancer in the US, and the third most common cancer worldwide, took a tumble early last month after the D9902A trial of Provenge failed to meet its primary endpoint of delaying the progression of the disease.
