New Experimental Cancer Drug Shows Early Promise in Prostate Cancer Study

An experimental cancer drug developed by Novartis is showing early signs of effectiveness against prostate cancer, according to data presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting.

The drug, which utilizes an actinium-based radioactive therapy, demonstrated anti-tumour activity in a study involving 101 patients. Encouragingly, over half (52.5%) of patients who had previously undergone treatment with Novartis’s older drug, Pluvicto, experienced a significant reduction in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, a key indicator of prostate cancer.

For patients who had not received Pluvicto, the response rates were even higher. More than 85% of treatment-naive patients and 58.8% of those who had received prior chemotherapy saw their PSA levels drop by at least half.

While the initial findings are encouraging, analysts caution that managing potential side effects, such as dry mouth and severe anemia, will be critical. Novartis’s Chief Medical Officer, Shreeram Aradhye, emphasized that larger trials are necessary to fully evaluate the drug’s safety profile and potential for use in earlier stages of treatment.

This experimental therapy is part of Novartis’s expanding investment in radioligand therapies, which deliver radiation directly to cancer cells. These therapies now represent a substantial portion of the company’s cancer research and development budget. Novartis, already a seller of successful radioligand drugs like Pluvicto and Lutathera, is progressing with two late-stage studies for this new actinium-based agent.

Radioligand therapy is a rapidly advancing field within oncology, with several major pharmaceutical companies actively acquiring developers in this space. The experimental drug uses actinium-225, an alpha emitter, which delivers a more concentrated dose of radiation over a shorter distance compared to the beta-emitting lutetium-177 used in Pluvicto, potentially leading to greater efficacy.

Novartis has also secured a long-term supply agreement for actinium to address potential future needs as the demand for such therapies grows. “The difference is that much higher amounts of energy (are) delivered across a much smaller distance, and the potential for greater efficacy,” Dr. Aradhye stated.