Dendreon caused emotions to run high in the markets today after they reserved conference space to present Provenge data at the annual American Urological Association meeting on April 28th. A spokesperson from the company said that while they just reserved a late-breaking spot, Dendreon will wait to unblind and analyze the data before it commits.

The news sent the stock skyrocketing, up almost 40% ($1.65) to close at $5.99. After hours trading saw a further increase of $0.31 (5.18%) to $6.30.

The data for Provenge has been long awaited by the medical, patient, investor and pharmaceutical communities. The dendritic cell therapy for prostate cancer has been over a decade in the making and if approved, will revolutionize the field of cell therapy and cancer treatment. Doctors still remain skeptical on whether the drug will meet its 22% survival improvement over placebo while many investors remain on the sidelines, waiting for the stock to skyrocket or tank.

Dendreon has a very long and dramatic history. Luke Timmerman at Xconomy did an amazing piece today on the company’s long journey which we highly recommend you read – especially if you’re a bit late to the ballgame. Take a look here.

Image from cnbc

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