Mitoxantrone Sales Decline

Mitoxantrone is used for the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer but its sales are declining following the introduction of the new agent Zytiga.

The combination of mitoxantrone and prednisone is approved as a second-line treatment for metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer. This combination has been the first line of treatment, until recently, when combination of Docetaxel and prednisone has been shown to improve survival and disease-free period. So the introduction of Docetaxel has led to the initial decline in mitoxantrone sales.

Mitoxantrone is a typical cytotoxic chemotherapy agent. As with other drugs in its class, mitoxantrone may cause several adverse reactions of varying severity, such as nausea, vomiting, hair loss, heart damage, and immunosuppression. Some other neurological side effects may have delayed onset.

The fact that Mitoxantrone sales are declining further is a good sign that progress is being made in developing agents such as Zytiga which do not suffer fron these bad side effects.