Amgen’s denusomab … more effective than Zometa?
According to an abstract of a presentation to be given at the American Society of Clincial Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in a couple of weeks, Amgen Inc.’s experimental drug denosumab was more effective than zoledronate (Zometa) in preventing fractures in cancer patients — at least in early test results.
According to the abstract, denosumab reduced the risk of fractures in 64 percent of patients, compared with 37 percent of those taking Zometa. The trial of 111 people included mostly patients with breast and prostate tumors, the two types of cancer which often spread slowly to the bones as the cancer worsens.
Denosumab, a genetically engineered antibody, is designed to block the action of a protein called RANK ligand (RANK-L), which activates signals that lead to the breakdown of bones. Zometa, a bisphosphonate, is already approved for treatment of prostate cancer patients whose disease has spread to bone.
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