'Dilbert' creator's desperate plea shines spotlight on alternative prostate cancer drug

When "Dilbert" creator Scott Adams precocious made a nationalist plea for assistance accessing a life-extending crab treatment, the communicative drew nationalist attraction — and sparked immoderate questions astir the cause itself.

Adams, 67, revealed successful May that helium has an assertive signifier of prostate crab that has dispersed beyond the prostate and nary longer responds to modular therapies.

On Sunday, Adams issued a petition to President Donald Trump, via X, to assistance him entree a recently approved cause called Pluvicto.

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A comparatively caller benignant of targeted radiation attraction for precocious prostate cancer, Pluvicto aims to dilatory the disease’s progression — but immoderate barriers whitethorn stay successful presumption of access, timing and broadside effects.

"My healthcare provider, Kaiser of Northern California, has approved my exertion to person a recently FDA-approved cause called Pluvicto," Adams wrote successful the post. "But they person dropped the shot successful scheduling the little IV to administer it and I can’t look to hole that."

"I americium declining fast. I volition inquire President Trump if helium tin get Kaiser of Northern California to respond and docket it for Monday. That volition springiness maine a warring accidental to instrumentality astir connected this satellite a small spot longer."

Trump shared a screenshot of Adams’ station connected Truth Social connected Sunday, with the comment, "On it!"

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Kaiser Permanente provided the beneath connection to Fox News Digital.

"Mr. Adams’ oncology squad is moving intimately with him connected the adjacent steps successful his crab care, which are already underway. Since it was approved by the FDA 3 years ago, Kaiser Permanente’s atomic medicine and aesculapian oncology experts person treated much than 150 patients with Lu-177 PSMA (Pluvicto) successful Northern California alone. We cognize this cause and this disease."

Neither the White House nor Adams instantly responded to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.

What is Pluvicto?

Pluvicto, which has the progressive constituent lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan, is made by Novartis AG, a pharmaceutical institution based successful New Jersey.

The cause delivers targeted ionizing radiation straight to tumor cells, with the extremity of minimizing harm to steadfast cells, Novartis told Fox News Digital.

Scott Adams, cartoonist and writer and creator of "Dilbert," revealed successful May that helium has an assertive signifier of prostate crab that has dispersed beyond the prostate and nary longer responds to modular therapies. (Getty Images)

The medicine is what is referred to arsenic a "radioligand therapy," according to Dr. Alan Bryce, aesculapian oncologist and main objective serviceman astatine City of Hope Phoenix.

"It involves a radioactive isotope, which has been linked to a targeting molecule that delivers the isotope to prostate crab cells," helium told Fox News Digital. "In this way, it has the vantage of concentrating the progressive cause astatine the tract of the cancerous insubstantial and delivering little of the cause to steadfast tissues."

Pluvicto "provides a bully alternate means of onslaught compared to the different options."

Pluvicto is effectual astatine some suppressing the crab and extending the patient's life, according to Bryce. "Its occurrence successful suppressing the crab besides means that it often improves symptoms, reducing symptom and giving the diligent much energy," helium added.

Pluvicto is presently the lone radioligand therapy approved for prostate cancer, Bryce noted — "so it provides a bully alternate means of onslaught compared to the different options."

"I americium declining fast. I volition inquire President Trump if helium tin get Kaiser of Northern California to respond and docket it for Monday," Adams wrote connected X. "That volition springiness maine a warring accidental to instrumentality astir connected this satellite a small spot longer." (Getty Images)

The cause was approved by the FDA successful March 2022 for the attraction of big patients with a definite benignant of metastatic prostate crab — metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer, which has a precocious level of prostate-specific membrane antigen positivity. The patients would person already received androgen receptor (AR) pathway inhibitors (hormone-blocking drugs that assistance support the crab from growing) and taxane-based chemotherapy (which prevents crab cells from reproducing).

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As of 2025, the cause is besides approved for radical who person received AR drugs and are capable to hold chemotherapy.

Pluvicto is typically administered via IV infusion each six weeks for up to six doses, depending connected however the illness progresses and however the diligent tolerates the drug.

Barriers to accessing Pluvicto

Shortages of the radioactive particles successful Pluvicto person led to proviso concatenation shortages successful the past, which person since improved, according to Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News elder aesculapian analyst.

Pluvicto indispensable beryllium handled cautiously and successful a tightly controlled situation due to the fact that of its radioactivity, Bryce noted.

Pluvicto delivers targeted ionizing radiation straight to tumor cells, with the extremity of minimizing harm to steadfast cells. (iStock)

"This means it is not needfully disposable successful each oncologist’s office, and successful immoderate communities whitethorn lone beryllium disposable successful definite practices," helium said. "During the archetypal rollout, determination were manufacturing difficulties that constricted availability, but that's nary longer an issue."

Each dose indispensable beryllium manufactured and delivered to the circumstantial patient, Bryce said, arsenic the isotope volition decay implicit clip and cannot beryllium stored for aboriginal use.

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In Adams’ case, Bryce said, it appears that the cause was approved, but determination were scheduling difficulties.

"This whitethorn bespeak limitations of the aesculapian infrastructure successful the section environment, and points to the value of systems that are capable to present attraction arsenic rapidly and efficiently arsenic imaginable portion maintaining safety."

Potential broadside effects

In objective trials, the astir communal broadside effects of Pluvicto were fatigue, adust mouth, nausea, backmost pain, associated pain, decreased appetite and constipation, Novartis confirmed to Fox News Digital. These effects are usually mild to moderate.

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Some patients whitethorn besides announcement changes successful humor trial results, similar little levels of humor cells oregon definite minerals, which doctors tin show during treatment.

In uncommon cases, superior broadside effects tin see bleeding problems, infections (like sepsis), kidney wounded oregon humor clots successful the lungs (pulmonary embolism), per the FDA’s prescribing information.

In objective trials, the astir communal broadside effects of Pluvicto were fatigue, adust mouth, nausea, backmost pain, associated pain, decreased appetite and constipation. (iStock)

The medicine contains a tiny magnitude of radioactive material, which means it indispensable beryllium handled cautiously to minimize radiation exposure.

Pluvicto tin sometimes impact the kidneys and should not beryllium utilized during gestation owed to hazard to the unborn baby, the prescribing accusation warns.

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"Chemo has much systemic broadside effects, due to the fact that Pluvicto is targeted astatine affected insubstantial only," Siegel said.

According to Bryce, Pluvicto is mostly an easier cause to instrumentality than chemotherapy, though each diligent is different.

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About 1 successful 8 men volition beryllium diagnosed with prostate crab astatine immoderate constituent successful their lives, according to the American Cancer Society. In 2025, it is estimated that astir 35,770 patients volition dice from the disease.

Prostate crab is the 2nd starring origin of cancer-related deaths among men successful the U.S., pursuing lung cancer.