Teva, OncoGenex commence phase-3 trial for advanced prostate cancer drug

BOTHELL, Wash. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals have started a late-stage clinical trial of an investigative treatment for advanced prostate cancer, the two companies said Thursday.

Teva and OncoGenex, a company based in the Seattle suburb of Bothell, Wash., that develops cancer therapies, announced the start of “SYNERGY,” a phase-3 trial of OGX-011/TV-1011 (custirsen), a first-line therapy for treating castrate-resistant prostate cancer.

The trial will take place at around 125 centers around the world and will include 800 patients with CRPC that has spread to other parts of the body. Patients will receive either custirsen with Sanofi-Aventis’ chemotherapy drug Taxotere (docetaxel) and prednisone, or Taxotere and prednisone alone.