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Is PROVENGE Successful in Prolonging Life?
from eMedTV.comPROVENGE® (sipuleucel-T) is licensed to treat certain cases of prostate cancer. The effectiveness of this medicine has been evaluated in clinical trials to determine whether PROVENGE is successful in prolonging life.
Based on these studies, PROVENGE appears to be effective at helping men with certain types of prostate cancer to live longer. The clinical studies enrolled men with metastatic prostate cancer (cancer that had spread to other areas of the body, such as the bone) that was resistant to hormone therapy. All of the men in the studies had either no prostate cancer symptoms or only minimal symptoms.
In the primary PROVENGE study, men who received PROVENGE survived an average of 4.1 months longer than men who received the placebo medication. PROVENGE also reduced the risk of death by 22.5 percent compared to the placebo. It should also be noted that in all of the studies, prostate cancer progressed just as quickly in men given PROVENGE as it did in men given the control medication.
(Click PROVENGE Effectiveness for a more in-depth look at the research that has been done on this drug.)
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Written by/reviewed by: Susan Lakey, PharmD, MPH
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD