Prostate Cancer Vaccine Wins OK

A new vaccine called Provenge has just been accepted by the FDA, making it the first to be approved by the agency for men fighting advanced prostate cancer. While Provenge is not a cure, it has shown promise in extending the lives of patients.

The treatment won’t come cheap, however, at $93,000 per patient. —JCL

The BBC:

A “vaccine” which harnesses the body’s own immune system to fight prostate cancer has been approved for use by US drug regulators.

Provenge—which is designed to be used in men with advanced disease—is the first of its kind to be accepted by the Food and Drug Administration.

Each dose has to be individually tailored and it is an expensive treatment at $93,000 per patient.

It will add to, rather than replace, existing treatments, said experts.

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Flickr / cancerdotsc

Nearly 200,000 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed in the U.S. in 2009, and 27,000 men died of the disease, according to the FDA.