Radium-223 dichloride (Xofigo®; formerly Alpharadin™) (hereafter referred to as radium-223) is a first-in-class alpha particle-emitting radiopharmaceutical that has recently been approved for the treatment of patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) with symptomatic bone metastases and no known visceral metastatic disease. Radium-223 is a calcium mimetic, which targets bone, delivering cytotoxic radiation to the sites of bone metastases. In the recently reported Alpharadin™ in Symptomatic Prostate Cancer (ALSYMPCA) phase III study, radium-223 was associated with significantly improved overall survival compared with placebo, making it the first bone-targeted CRPC therapy for which an overall survival benefit has been demonstrated. The ALSYMPCA study also demonstrated the beneficial effects of radium-223 on disease-related symptomatic skeletal events, pain and health-related quality of life. Radium-223 was generally well tolerated, being associated with low rates of myelosuppression and generally mild gastrointestinal adverse events. Thus, radium-223 is a valuable addition to the treatment options for this poor-prognosis population.
Written by:
Shirley M1, McCormack PL. Are you the author?
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Reference: Drugs. 2014 Mar 8. Epub ahead of print.
doi: 10.1007/s40265-014-0198-4
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 24610703
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