Johnson & Johnson Announces Promising Results for Prostate Cancer Drug Combination

Early study shows pasritamig and docetaxel demonstrate deep PSA responses and favorable safety profile

Published on Feb. 26, 2026

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Johnson & Johnson announced preliminary results from a Phase 1b study evaluating pasritamig, a first-in-class bispecific T-cell engaging antibody, in combination with docetaxel in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. The combination demonstrated a safety profile consistent with docetaxel alone, with high rates of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) responses and sustained PSA reductions, supporting continued development and advancement into Phase 3 studies.

Why it matters

Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer is an aggressive and challenging stage of the disease with limited treatment options and poor outcomes. These early results for the pasritamig and docetaxel combination suggest it could offer a new approach to meaningfully improve outcomes for patients in this difficult-to-treat population.

The details

In the study, pasritamig was evaluated in combination with docetaxel in an outpatient setting in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer whose disease had progressed following androgen receptor pathway inhibitor therapy. Reductions of 50% or greater in PSA levels were achieved in 64.7% of patients overall and in 75.0% of taxane-naïve patients. Reductions of 90% or greater in PSA levels were achieved in 39.2% of patients overall and 53.6% of taxane-naïve patients. The safety profile of pasritamig plus docetaxel was consistent with the known safety profile of docetaxel.

  • As of December 9, 2025, 51 patients had received pasritamig plus docetaxel.

The players

Johnson & Johnson

An American multinational corporation that develops medical devices, pharmaceutical, and consumer packaged goods.

Shahneen Sandhu

Associate Professor, Consultant Medical Oncologist and researcher at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, and study investigator.

Charles Drake

Vice President, Prostate Cancer and Cross Cancer Immuno-Oncology at Johnson & Johnson.

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What they’re saying

“These data represent an important step forward for patients with advanced prostate cancer. In a disease where outcomes remain poor for many patients, seeing encouraging clinical activity alongside a favorable safety profile in combination with docetaxel reinforces the potential of this approach and supports further clinical development.”

— Shahneen Sandhu, Associate Professor, Consultant Medical Oncologist and researcher

“Based on these findings, we are increasingly confident in the potential of pasritamig to meaningfully improve outcomes for people with prostate cancer. The ability to combine pasritamig with docetaxel, where prior approaches in the field have fallen short, gives us a strong foundation for Phase 3 development. What we're seeing with this combination, including deep and durable PSA responses, underscores the promise of this combination immunotherapy approach and our commitment to advancing innovation that can make a difference for patients.”

— Charles Drake, Vice President, Prostate Cancer and Cross Cancer Immuno-Oncology (Johnson & Johnson)

What’s next

Two ongoing Phase 3 studies are evaluating pasritamig in the metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer setting. KLK2-comPAS is evaluating pasritamig as monotherapy, and KLK2-PASenger is evaluating pasritamig in combination with docetaxel.

The takeaway

These early results for the pasritamig and docetaxel combination suggest it could offer a promising new approach to treating metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, a difficult-to-treat form of the disease with limited treatment options and poor outcomes. The combination's favorable safety profile and ability to achieve deep and durable PSA responses support further clinical development.