F.D.A. Approves Vaccine to Fight Prostate Cancer

[jace]

New Prostate Cancer immune booster drug approved

An immune system booster was approved by the FDA yesterday -
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-sci-prostate-20100429,0,1411702.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fnews%2Fscience+%28L.A.+Times+-+Science%29

The first couple of paragraphs:

The Food and Drug Administration approved a new immune-boosting therapy for prostate cancer on Thursday, the first therapeutic vaccine for cancer ever approved by the agency. The approval opens the door to a whole new approach to cancer therapy, adding a unique weapon to the arsenal of oncologists.

The vaccine, Provenge, has been shown to extend survival in patients with advanced prostate cancer by four months, more than twice as long as chemotherapy, and to increase three-year survival by 38%.

"A lot of people have been working in labs, biotechs and pharma companies looking for a proof of principle" that immunotherapy works against cancer, said Dr. David I. Quinn, medical director of the USC Norris Cancer Hospital. "This is the proof of principle."

Patient advocates who have been fighting for Provenge's approval since the FDA initially rejected the drug in 2007 were overjoyed.

Aggressive prostate cancer is linked to XMRV ...

 

[Jerry S]

Thanks for this, jace. I saw a story about it on the national network news here last night. Very interesting.

Here's the CBS video of the broadcast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExE90xSrPCM

 

[Andrew]

Very interesting. Thanks for posting.

I wonder now what to do if one has CFS and prostate cancer, considering that vaccinations can make us sicker.

Another thought: I wonder if this has any affect on XMRV.

 

[JillBohr]

Why did the FDA reject this drug in 2007?

 

[acer2000]

Somewhat related... due to XMRV being a potential cause of prostate cancer.
----

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the first treatment that uses a so-called cancer vaccine, a drug that trains the bodys own immune system to fight the disease.

The drug, Provenge, developed by the Dendreon Corporation, was approved to treat advanced prostate cancer. In clinical trials it extended the lives of patients about four months compared with a placebo.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/30/health/30drug.html?ref=health

 

[consuegra]

Provenge has a checkered history. There is something to be learned in reading about its history - and what is learned is not all good. In 2007 it was approved by an FDA advisory committee by a 13-4 vote. The FDA usually follows these expert panels recommendations, but, astonishingly, in this case, they did not. Amongst the 4 negative votes were two "movers and shakers" (big shots). The FDA sent Provenge back to trials and after another two years, the drug delivered the same level of results (essentially repeating the same trials) and remarkably it was finally approved. How many men did of prostate cancer over these additional two years is anyone's guess. Provenge looks like a remarkable drug, but it had the usual stiff resistance from some quarters. Its approval opens the door for additional drugs of this category.

Chrishttp://cfspatientadvocate.blogspot.com

 

[SpecialK82]

Does anyone understand the science behind why a vaccine for prostate cancer helps to fight prostate cancer when a person already has the cancer in their body?

I know I had read somewhere that a development of a vaccine for XMRV could potentially help fight XMRV in a person already infected - I didn't realize vaccines could work this way...

Kristina