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Prostate Cancer Study Shows Combination Therapy With Novantrone Is Cost-Effective SEATTLE, WA -- June 11, 1998 -- Advanced hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) patients experienced reduced pain by receiving Immunex Corp.’s Novantrone(R) (mitoxantrone for injection concentrate) chemotherapy combined with prednisone, at no greater total cost than treatment with prednisone alone, according to a study published in this month’s issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The retrospective study showed that the reduction in hospital admissions for Novantrone-treated patients more than offset the cost of the drug. Conducted by a research team headed by Dr. D.J. Bloomfield of the University of Toronto, the study was based on a previously published clinical trial that randomised hormone-refractory prostate cancer patients to initial treatment with Novantrone and prednisone or to prednisone alone. The results of the original trial showed that a clinically and statistically significant higher proportion of the HRPC patients treated with the combination therapy experienced relief of pain than those treated with prednisone alone. The new study determined that the mean total cost of the combination therapy of Novantrone and prednisone was $27,300 CDN compared to the mean total cost of prednisone alone of $29,000 CDN. Side effects of Novantrone and corticosteroids are generally manageable. Those most frequently occurring (aside from expected effects on blood cells) were nausea (61%), fatigue (39%), hair loss (29%), loss of appetite (25%), constipation (16%) and difficulty breathing (11%). In addition, 5.5% of patients experienced events related to the heart. In 1997, approximately 50,000 men died of prostate cancer in North America. Many will live with the symptoms of metastatic disease for several years. The initial management of metastatic disease by hormonal manoeuvres relieves symptoms in an estimated 75 percent of patients. Patients eventually enter a hormone resistant phase, after which they have a median survival of approximately 12 months. At this stage, the dominant symptoms are pain because of progressive bone metastases. These symptoms can often be managed through the combination of Novantrone and prednisone therapy studied in this trial. More information on: Novantrone, Immunex Corp. E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version