Zytiga OKed as prostate cancer treatment

HORSHAM, Pa. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new treatment for prostate cancer made by Johnson & Johnson.

Centocor Ortho Biotech, J&J’s biotech subsidiary, announced Thursday the approval of Zytiga (abiraterone acetate), a daily pill for use in combination with the corticosteroid prednisone for treating castration-resistant prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body in men who have received prior chemotherapy with Sanofi-Aventis’ Taxotere (docetaxel).

“This FDA approval represents a welcome new option in the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer,” said Howard Scher, Memorial Sloan-Kettering cancer specialist and investigator for the late-stage clinical trial of the drug. “As a clinician, I believe the efficacy and safety profile of abiraterone acetate, as well as its oral, once-daily formulation, will help address the important need for additional therapeutic choices for men living with this serious disease.”