Xtandi is Just Another Flutamide Analogue

Xtandi the newly approved prostate cancer treatment is just another version of the existing agents Flutamide and Casodex (Bicalutamide). Xtandi is referred to as a "Super Casodex" and this is a fitting description, but this can also be looked at as "Expensive Casodex".

Flutamide usage in prostate cancer therapy goes back over 30 years and today costs $62 per month. Flutamide is activated in the liver to the metabolite hydroxy flutamide.

Casodex (Bicalutamide) is a more recent development and mimics the active hydroxyflutamide metabolite and this drug costs £432 per month.

Xtandi (Enzalutamide) has just received FDA approval and comes on the market at an astonishing $7500 per month.

So Xtandi is just an expensive version of Casodex and so far there are no clinical results to suggest that Xtandi is any better than Casodex in clinical practise.