Ferring Pharmaceuticals Announces Trade Name FIRMAGON(R) (degarelix for injection) for Advanced Prostate Cancer...( PARSIPPANY N.J. Aug. 4 /- Ferri...),Health

PARSIPPANY, N.J., Aug. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Ferring Pharmaceuticals announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the trade name FIRMAGON(R) (degarelix for injection) for its prostate cancer treatment previously marketed under the generic name degarelix. FIRMAGON is a new injectable gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptor antagonist indicated for patients with advanced prostate cancer. Since initial market introduction under the generic name degarelix, FIRMAGON has been used by more than 3,000 patients to fight their prostate cancer.

"This treatment was in development by Ferring Pharmaceuticals in the U.S. and Europe for more than a decade," said Wayne Anderson, President and CEO of Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc., USA. "We launched degarelix prior to receiving approval for its brand name in order to bring the medical community an effective alternative in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer without delay. We plan to continue our research in the area of urology and we expect to introduce additional treatment advances in the future."

FIRMAGON provides fast, long-term suppression of testosterone, a hormone that stimulates prostate cancer growth.(1-3) Phase III pivotal studies showed that FIRMAGON is as effective as leuprolide (Lupron Depot(R))* in reducing and sustaining castrate levels of testosterone.(1,2) Suppression of testosterone to castrate levels occurred significantly faster in patients receiving FIRMAGON than in those receiving leuprolide.(1,2) At Day 3 of treatment, the FIRMAGON group achieved a 90 percent decrease in median testosterone levels compared with the leuprolide group, which experienced a 65 percent increase in median testosterone levels, a statistically significant result. FIRMAGON was as effective as leuprolide in suppressing testosterone levels from Day 28 to the end of the study (Day 364), with 97.2 percent of the FIRMAGON patients maintain
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