Dendreon Corp fka DNDNQ

[rancherho]

Good points, although I don't think that an 80% chance of success for GVAX in Vital-1 is too shabby.

The only supportive care that has been proven to extend survival is Taxotere. Therefore, I would suppose that Ph 2 GVAX patients at John Hopkins would have been offered that therapy, which relates back to the fact that post immunotherapy Taxotere may be an important factor in both Provenge's 9902b trial and Vital-1.

GVAX may be the first allogenic immunotherapy to have reached a Phase 3 randomized trial, so the jury is still out on that approach. For whatever reason, there seems to be more accessible literature on the single targeted antigen, predominently T cell based approach of Provenge. The following is one of the few good discussions that I've come across of the GVAX approach by a non CEGE doc:
http://www.extendmed.com/capvaccine/p7info.html

One final GVAX observation that I noted concerning CEGE's Vital-2 GVAX + Taxotere vs. Taxotere trial is that after the ITT group completes their combination treatment, they receive boosters for life. Dr. Petrylak recommended that DNDN consider such Provenge boosters after completion of Provenge/Taxotere combination tretment last November.

In any event, between Provenge and GVAX, the next two years should be crtical ones for present and future AIPC patients and for DNDN and CEGE.