J&J's experimental prostate cancer pill shrinks tumors in early trial

what happened

Johnson & Johnson said on Saturday, according to Reuters, that its experimental once-daily oral treatment for prostate cancer made tumors disappear or contract in an early-stage clinical trial. The company obtained the compound through its $3.05 billion acquisition of Halda Therapeutics last year.

The drug, JNJ-6143, was tested in patients with advanced prostate cancer who had already undergone several lines of therapy. It works selectively, destroying cancer cells by blocking a protein they depend on to survive. Among 31 patients evaluable at the 50-milligram dose, 77% saw PSA, a blood marker used to track the disease, drop by at least half, and 48% saw a decline of at least 90%.

Among patients whose tumors could be followed with imaging, 69% achieved a confirmed complete or partial response. Common side effects included nausea and higher cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and one patient stopped treatment because of unwanted reactions. The findings were shown at the European Society for Medical Oncology congress. A J&J spokesperson said the drug "adds a new mechanism of action" to the company's prostate cancer portfolio.

why it matters

Early-stage data are preliminary, and results often differ from later-phase outcomes, so the market impact is limited for now. For J&J, the result strengthens its position in oncology, an area investors watch as a source of future revenue.

market impact

JNJ: promising early data for a new oncology drug may support sentiment toward the company's pipeline

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