Dendreon Announces FDA Grants Fast Track Status for Provenge

Earlier:
Dendreon’s Phase 3 Trial Shows Provenge Vaccine Extends Survival in Patients with Advanced Prostate Cancer Oct 28, 2004

Meanwhile in Europe:
Dendreon’s Second Randomized Phase 3 D9902A Trial of Provenge Extends Survival in Patients with Advanced Prostate Cancer

PARIS, FRANCE, October 31, 2005 – Dendreon Corporation (Nasdaq: DNDN) today announced that final results of its second Phase 3 study (D9902A) of PROVENGE® (sipuleucel-T), the Company’s investigational active cellular immunotherapy for the treatment of prostate cancer, were presented here today during a late-breaking clinical trials session at ECCO 13-the European Cancer Conference. Researchers concluded that these results are consistent with the results from the Company’s first Phase 3 study (D9901). The Company recently announced plans to submit a Biologics License Application (BLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market PROVENGE based on discussions of these data with the FDA.

“The combined data from the trials of PROVENGE versus placebo demonstrate that active immunotherapy favorably impacts survival in men with asymptomatic, metastatic, androgen-independent prostate cancer,” reported Celestia S. Higano, M.D., director and associate professor of the Genitourinary Oncology Clinical Research Group at the University of Washington, Seattle, who presented the data. “Given the favorable side effect profile, PROVENGE may provide a useful alternative for men prior to initiating chemotherapy.”
Study Results

In the D9902A study, the three-year final survival analysis in the intent-to-treat population of the double-blind, placebo-controlled study of PROVENGE in 98 men with asymptomatic, metastatic, androgen-independent (hormone-refractory) prostate cancer showed those patients who received PROVENGE had a 19.0 month median survival time compared with only 15.7 months for the patients who were randomized to receive a placebo. This represents a 3.3 month or 21 percent improvement in median survival for patients who were randomized to receive PROVENGE compared to placebo (p-value = 0.331, log-rank; HR = 1.3). This hazard ratio implies that patients receiving placebo have a relative risk of dying that is 30 percent higher than those patients receiving PROVENGE. A Cox multivariate regression analysis of overall survival, which adjusts for imbalances in prognostic factors known to influence survival, met the criteria for statistical significance (p-value = 0.023; adjusted HR = 1.9). The hazard ratio observed in this analysis was consistent with that seen in the Company’s first Phase 3 study, D9901. In addition, at the three-year final follow up, 32 percent of the men in the PROVENGE group were alive compared to only 21 percent of the men in the placebo group, a 52 percent improvement in the survival rate.

As in previous studies, PROVENGE was well tolerated with the most common adverse events reported being fever and chills lasting for one to two days.

As reported earlier this year, the final three-year follow up of the D9901 study of PROVENGE in 127 men with asymptomatic, metastatic, androgen-independent prostate cancer showed a median survival benefit of 21 percent or 4.5 months and a three-fold improvement in survival at 36 months (p-value = 0.010; HR = 1.7). In addition, a Cox multivariate regression analysis was used to test the validity of the survival benefit seen in this study. The results showed that patients receiving placebo had a relative risk of dying that is more than twice as high as those patients receiving PROVENGE (p-value = 0.002; adjusted HR = 2.1).

Dr. Higano also presented an integrated analysis of the data from studies D9901 and D9902A, which showed a statistically significant survival benefit in the overall intent-to-treat population of 225 patients. In this analysis, patients receiving PROVENGE had a median survival of 23.2 months compared to 18.9 months for patients in the placebo group, a 4.3 month or 23 percent improvement in median survival. This analysis was statistically significant by both log rank (p-value = 0.011; HR = 1.5) and Cox multivariate regression analysis of overall survival (p-value = 0.0006; adjusted HR = 1.8). In addition, at the three-year final follow up, 33 percent of the men who received PROVENGE were alive compared to only 15 percent of the men who received placebo, a greater than 100 percent improvement.

“We were pleased to see a statistically consistent and meaningful survival benefit across the three analyses,” said Robert M. Hershberg, M.D., Ph.D., Dendreon’s chief medical officer. “We will be working closely with the FDA to complete our BLA and to bring PROVENGE to market for men with advanced stage prostate cancer who currently have few appealing treatment options available to them.”

Also see
Forbes reports (from AP wire):

“Dendreon Corp. said Monday that the Food and Drug Administration granted ‘fast track’ status to its experimental prostate cancer drug, a label that allows a company to submit data as it becomes available and includes scheduled meetings for FDA input.

The fast track designation - for the treatment of metastatic, male hormone-independent prostate cancer in men who don’t show symptoms - is reserved for drugs that address an unmet medical need and can sometimes speed review. ”

FierceHealthcare says:
“The FDA has awarded Fast Track designation to Dendreon for its prostate cancer
drug Provenge. Results from the phase III study show that Provenge could improve
the survival rates of men with asymptomatic, metastatic, androgen-independent
prostate cancer.”