Prostate Cancer Treatment Drug May Have Wider Uses

1. Prostate Cancer Treatment Drug May Have Wider Uses

2. •As the co-founder and earliest financier of Cougar Biotechnology, Dr. Lindsay
Rosenwald helped to support a team that developed abiraterone acetate, a
drug designed to treat prostate cancer.
Dr. Lindsay Rosenwald’s investment paid off when Johnson & Johnson bought
Cougar Biotechnology for almost $1 billion in 2009.
The early success of abiraterone acetate has led to clinical trials to test it as a
treatment for other types of cancer.
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3. •A clinical trial supported by Cancer Research UK, which began in 2008 and is
scheduled for completion in 2014, is investigating abiraterone acetate as a
treatment for breast cancer.
Researchers hope to find out whether abiraterone acetate is effective in those
cases where the cancer has spread and stopped responding to standard
treatment.
The drug works by halting the body’s production of estrogen and androgens,
which can stimulate the growth of cancer.
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4. •Scientists are examining the ideal dose of abiraterone acetate to administer
and focusing on how people’s bodies respond to the drug.
They are also studying possible side effects, including high blood pressure,
fatigue, fluid retention, and decreased appetite.
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