Satraplatin: leading the new generation of oral platinum agents

Satraplatin has a favorable toxicity profile, and appears to have clinical activity against a variety of malignancies such as breast, prostate and lung cancer. The oral route of administration and the intermittent schedule makes it very convenient for clinical use. Despite this, a FDA-approved indication has not yet been achieved. The only Phase III trial with satraplatin was conducted in pretreated metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), revealing an improvement in progression-free survival but no overall survival benefit. Future development would have to include designing trials in docetaxel-refractory metastatic CRPC, or in other malignancies where cisplatin is of benefit.