Vitamin D Pill For Prostate Cancer, Under Development

Under clinical stage development by drugmaker Novacea, is a drug based on vitamin D for patients in the advanced stages of prostate cancer along with chemotherapy drugs – Asentar (DN-101).

Drug makers came up with the idea because vitamin D from sunlight improves the prognosis of certain cancers. But taking natural levels of the vitamin has no effect.

Asentar is a novel formulation that reproduces the healing effect without the dangerous side-effects of a vitamin D overdose.

Asentar provides levels of vitamin D 50-100 times higher than normal. Patients would be expected to take one tablet once a week with their weekly regime of taxotere for three weeks out of every four.

If the ongoing Phase III trial turned out successful, the drug is expected in the market in 2009.

Find more details from the full report at the Society of Chemical Industry.