Biotech, cancer, clinical trials

Dendreon Starts Trial of Patients With Localized Prostate Cancer

Luke Timmerman 7/16/08

Dendreon, the Seattle-based maker of immune-boosting therapies for cancer, said today it has started a mid-stage clinical trial of Provenge for patients with localized prostate cancer who are about to have their prostates surgically removed. The trial, called NeoACT, will enroll about 40 patients at the University of California San Francisco. That study will be getting underway as the company (NASDAQ: DNDN) awaits big news in the coming months from a trial of 500 men that will examine whether Provenge can extend lives when used against more advanced forms of prostate cancer.

Luke Timmerman is the National Biotechnology Editor for Xconomy. You can e-mail him at ltimmerman@xconomy.com, call 206-624-2374, or follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ldtimmerman.