GTx begins clinical trials for androgen deprivation therapy - New Clinical Trials for Prostate Cancer

GTx begins clinical trials for androgen deprivation therapy
Memphis Business Journal

Volunteers are now receiving doses of GTx’s luteinizing hormone (LH) inhibitor, an androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). U.S. sales of drugs for ADT exceeded $1.7 billion in 2008, according to a GTx release citing data from IMS Health Inc., a pharmaceutical market analysis firm.

ADT is the primary treatment for advanced prostate cancer. It is accomplished either by surgical removal of the testes or more commonly by injection with LH. ADT reduces testosterone in men to castrate levels, but this also results in low estrogen levels. Estrogen is derived from testosterone in men.

GTx’s therapy would differ from other ADTs on the marketplace as it would be taken orally, not injected, and would not produce side effects like bone loss and hot flashes. The company is now awaiting word from the FDA on a review track for its 80 milligram dose of toremifene, a therapy to treat the side effects of current ADTs.

GTx (Nasdaq: GTXI) is a biopharmaceutical company based in Memphis that seeks to discover, develop and commercialize small molecules that selectively target hormone pathways to treat cancer, osteoporosis and bone loss, muscle wasting and other serious medical conditions.