Prostate cancer is the fourth most common cancer worldwide, however it remains a challenge for both patients and doctors alike to identify the proper treatment. Patients are hesitant to fully commit to medications and treatments due to the uncertainty surrounding the safety and effectiveness of products. Erleada®, or Apalutamide, is a newer drug that has shown promising results. Following intensive testing with the two clinical trials TITAN and SPARTAN, Erleada® is currently FDA approved for two kinds of prostate cancer, mCSPC and nmCRPC. Both trials ensured the effectiveness of Erleada® by contrasting results of patients using Erleada® against users of a placebo drug. Erleada® was shown to prolong metastasis-free survival for patients with nmCRPC, as well as lengthen radiographic progression-free survival for patients with mCSPC. The trials also established the safety of Erleada® through the low percentages of patients recorded to suffer from severe side effects of the drug. In addition, Erleada®’s efficacy was tested through a meta-analysis comparison of Erleada® with other similar non-chemotherapy oncology drugs, namely Nubeqa® and Xtandi®. Erleada® was proven to have the highest likelihood of being the most beneficial for the treatment of nmCRPC. This was measured through the metastasis-free survival and the prostate-specific antigen progression-free survival, both of which were lengthened by Erleada®. Overall, Erleada® is shown to have the potential to be a new miracle treatment for prostate cancer patients.
By: Vasudha Ravivarma