Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has historically been used to treat advancing prostate cancer in conjunction with localized therapies e.g. radiotherapy. Current approaches, however, have not been effective in treating patients with advanced and aggressive disease (approx. 30%) who display hormone-refractory tumour growth. However, a considerable shift in market dynamics is anticipated by 2015 following the approval of three new agents in 2010 for the treatment of hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPCA). The HRPCA market is set to expand from $1 billion currently to an estimated $5 billion by 2015 (1).
These new drugs belong to the category of either anti-androgen therapeutic agents (e.g. Abiraterone) or anti-neoplastic agents (e.g. Cabazitaxel). Currently, the market is dynamic but there exists a need for the development of effective anti-angiogenic therapy for HRPCA, which thus far has shown disappointing clinical results with the application of anti-VEGFs. Therefore, there is an unmet clinical need for the development of novel therapeutics which act through non-VEGF, non-androgen dependent mechanisms, as these would widen the current therapeutic scope and treatment options. As ADAM15 promotes pathological neovascularisation and considerable data supports its role in the development and progression of metastatic HRPCA , there exists a viable opportunity to develop a novel anti-ADAM15 therapeutic strategy for the treatment of HRPCA, which may include application in combination with anti-VEGFs and other targeted therapeutics.
Citations:
- J & J’s Prostate Drug Extends life as Spur to $5 Billion Market. Bloomberg.com, 2nd June 2011.