Dendreon Says Provenge Sales Slow Due to Reimbursement Uncertainty

Seattle-based Dendreon Corp. Aug. 3 said sales of the prostate cancer drug Provenge (sipuleucel-T) are growing more slowly than expected because physicians are unsure they will be reimbursed for the drug.

Provenge was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in April 2010 for the treatment asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body and is resistant to standard hormone treatment (8 PLIR 598, 5/7/10).

“We believe the market potential for Provenge is substantial, and the primary issue affecting the dynamics of our launch is the reimbursement knowledge around Provenge,” Mitchell ...