A new drug based on the active ingredient Lutetium-177 PSMA-617 has been approved by the European Commission for the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer carrying the surface molecule PSMA (prostate specific membrane antigen).
The drug was developed under the leadership of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in collaboration with Heidelberg University Hospital and Heidelberg University.
It had already received FDA approval for the United States in March of this year. The approval is limited to patients who had previously received chemotherapy and who do not respond to hormone withdrawal.
“Men with advanced prostate cancer currently have hardly any promising treatment options. The fact that these patients can now finally benefit from Lutetium-177 PSMA-617 in Germany is a great success for the DKFZ. Our mission is to provide knowledge and solutions for clinical practice through excellent basic research,” said Michael Baumann, Chairman of the Board of Management of DKFZ.
Lutetium-177 PSMA 617 was first brought into clinical trials by ABX and then developed by Novartis until it was approved.
Additional clinical trials are already underway to determine whether Lutetium-177 PSMA-617 provides a survival benefit to patients with metastatic prostate cancer who have not previously received chemotherapy.
