FDA Approves New Treatment for Advanced Prostate Cancer

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Jevtana (cabazitaxel) to treat men with prostate cancer. Jevtana, a chemotherapy drug used in combination with the steroid prednisone, is the first treatment for advanced, hormone-refractory, prostate cancer that has worsened during or after treatment with docetaxel, a commonly used drug for advanced prostate cancer.Jevtana was reviewed under the FDA’s priority review program, which provides for an expedited six-month review for drugs that may offer major advances in treatment, or provide a treatment when no adequate therapy exists. Jevtana received approval ahead of the product’s Sept. 30, 2010, goal date.