Provenge success definitive now it seems
I last wrote about Dendreon’s Provenge active immunotherapy for prostate cancer back in May of 2007, when I raised questions about FDA’s decision not to approve the therapy, despite a favorable advisory committee opinion.
Today, I am happy to pass along news of positive top-line results from a confirmatory Phase 3 study of Provenge (IMPACT), released nearly two years following the original FDA action on Dendreon’s BLA.
I suppose some would regard this an appropriate time for a lament about a too-conservative oncology drug review division that needlessly delayed wide availability of the pioneering therapy. It seems most appropriate to me, however, to let the news speak for itself, content in the outcome and the hope it brings to cancer patients who might now benefit from Provenge. Amidst notable past failures, perhaps at last this treatment concept has proven itself clinically. If so, consider this a momentous occassion, worthy of celebration and praise. And now, bring on the full results!
