J&J prostate cancer drug reduces risk of cancer spread and death in late-stage study

May 31 (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson's prostate cancer drug Erleada used with hormone-blocking therapy six months before and after prostate surgery improved the chances of eliminating the cancer and reduced the risk of ‌disease progression or death, according to data from a late-stage trial presented on Sunday.

The study, which followed patients ‌for over five years, found that those who received the regimen were nine times more likely to have little to no detectable cancer in the prostate ​at the time of surgery compared with those given testosterone-blocking therapy alone.

The addition of Erleada also reduced the risk of the cancer spreading or death by 20%, the company said.

The data, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago, is likely to change how doctors approach treatment of men with high-risk localized or locally advanced prostate cancer. Currently, surgery to remove the prostate ‌and radiation therapy are the standard of ⁠care for such patients.

About 40% of the 330,000 people diagnosed with prostate cancer in the U.S. are considered high-risk, J&J said.

The study also looked at a full year of treatment with Erleada and ⁠hormone therapy before and after surgery.

Among those patients, men who received the combination therapy on average went more than six years before requiring subsequent treatment, nearly double the time for the hormone therapy alone group. The longer therapy with Erleada also reduced the risk of ​recurrence ​and death by 29%.

Nearly half of patients who receive the current standard ​prostate-removal surgery and radiation see their cancer return ‌and require additional treatment, J&J said.