German drugmaker Bayer and Finland's Orion said on Wednesday a study showed a prostate cancer drug they are jointly developing can delay the spread of the disease to other parts of the body.

A study on men with non-metastatic prostate cancer that could not be helped with hormonal therapy met the primary goal of showing oral drug darolutamide can delay the spread of metastases, the companies said in a statement.

Full details of the trials will be presented at a medical conference, Bayer said.

Bayer added it would now speak to health authorities about a possible request for marketing approval of darolutamide, a compound that was granted "fast track" designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the prostate cancer setting, potentially speeding the approval process.

Orion's products have in recent years faced increased generic competition while earlier this year the company decided to discontinue development of its drug for Alzheimer's disease.

Under the darolutamide deal, Bayer has the right to commercialize the drug globally while Orion will manufacture the product and receive milestone payments upon first sale in different markets.