AstraZeneca (AZ) and Daiichi Sankyo have shared positive results from a late-stage study of their HER2-directed antibody drug conjugate Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan) in a subset of breast cancer patients.
The phase 3 DESTINY-Breast06 has been comparing the drug against chemotherapy in patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-low or HER2-ultralow advanced or metastatic breast cancer.
Breast cancer is the second most common cancer and one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths globally, with more than two million cases of the disease diagnosed in 2022.
HR-positive, HER2-negative is the most common breast cancer subtype, with up to 65% of these cases estimated to be HER2-low and an additional 25% may be HER2-ultralow.
There were no targeted therapies specifically approved for patients with HER2-low expression prior to the approval of Enhertu in HER2-low metastatic breast cancer last year, and there are still no targeted therapies specifically authorised for those with HER2-ultralow expression.
Read more: https://pmlive.com/pharma_news/astrazeneca-daiichi-sankyos-enhertu-shows-promise-in-phase-3-breast-cancer-study/