JevtanaTM demonstrates higher survival rate among advanced stage prostate cancer patients
Sanofi-aventis announced today that Health Canada has granted market authorization for Jevtana™ (cabazitaxel) injection in combination with prednisone for the treatment of patients with metastatic castration resistant (hormone refractory) prostate cancer (mCRPC), previously treated with a docetaxel-containing treatment regimen.
"Jevtana™ is an effective chemotherapy treatment. It has been approved for patients who have received prior chemotherapy, and provides a significant survival benefit to individuals diagnosed with metastatic castration resistant (hormone-refractory) prostate cancer according to a study published in the Lancet in 2010," said Dr. Fred Saad, Professor and Chair of Urology and Director of G-U Oncology at the University of Montreal Hospital Centre. "The impact of this approval will mean a new line of treatment for advanced stage Canadian prostate cancer patients, offering them a treatment option where there was previously none before."
mCRPC is an advanced form of prostate cancer in which the cancer has continued to grow despite the suppression of male hormones, called androgens, which often fuel the growth of prostate cancer cells. Jevtana™ has been shown to work by causing the intracellular microtubules, which help separate chromosomes into daughter cells during cell division, to stabilize so that the cells can no longer grow or divide.