J&J cancer pill Zytiga meets goal in new study

NEW YORK (AP) — Johnson & Johnson said Thursday that its prostate cancer pill Zytiga delayed the progression of cancer in patients who had not been treated with chemotherapy.

The company said patients who were treated with Zytiga and a steroid had a longer time to death or disease progression than patients treated with a placebo and the steroid. Zytiga met secondary goals in the late-stage study, and the independent monitoring committee recommended the results from the study be released and that patients who were taking the placebo be offered Zytiga.

So far, the difference in patients' overall survival is not statistically significant, the company said. However it's possible that that could change.

Zytiga was approved in April as a treatment for men with prostate cancer who have already undergone chemotherapy.

Johnson & Johnson did not report specific results from the study of more than 1,000 patients. The New Brunswick, N.J., company plans to present the data at a future medical meeting and file for a broader marketing approval of Zytiga in the U.S. and other markets in the second half of 2012.

The news hammered shares of Dendreon Corp., which makes the prostate cancer therapy Provenge. Provenge was approved in April 2010, and the injection is designed to train the immune system to fight cancer. Shares of the Seattle company plunged 87 cents, or 8 percent, to $8 in afternoon trading. The stock has traded in a 52-week range of $6.46 to $43.96.

Elsewhere, shares of Medivation Inc. shot up. The San Francisco-based company is developing its own prostate cancer pill through a partnership with Astellas Pharma. The drug is called MDV3100 and it is intended to be taken once a day, like Zytiga. MDV3100 has succeeded in two late-stage clinical studies. Shares of Medivation jumped $9.87, or 15.4 percent, to $74.06.

Johnson & Johnson shares rose 65 cents to $64.95.