Genentech, a member of the Roche Group (RHHBY), Friday said new data from a late-stage study showed combining its breast cancer drug Perjeta with another combination significantly improved overall survival in patients.
The company noted that people with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, or mBC, lived significantly longer when treated with the combination of Perjeta (pertuzumab), Herceptin (trastuzumab) and docetaxel chemotherapy, compared to Herceptin and docetaxel chemotherapy alone.
Hal Barron, chief medical officer and head, Global Product Development stated, "We are pleased that Perjeta helped people with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer live longer and lengthened the time they lived without their disease worsening."
Perjeta is a personalized medicine that targets the HER2 receptor - a protein found in high quantities on the outside of cancer cells in HER2-positive cancers.
Genentech said the median progression-free survival improved by 6.1 months from 12.4 months for people who received Herceptin and chemotherapy plus placebo to 18.5 months for those who received Perjeta, Herceptin and chemotherapy.
The FDA recently approved Perjeta in combination with Herceptin and docetaxel chemotherapy to treat people who have not received prior anti-HER2 therapy. Roche has submitted a marketing authorization application to the European Medicines Agency for Perjeta for people with previously untreated HER2-positive mBC.
The international, Phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated the efficacy and safety profile of Perjeta combined with Herceptin and docetaxel chemotherapy in 808 people.
Genentech said it will submit these data for presentation at an upcoming medical meeting.
RHHBY closed Thursday's regular trading at $42.01.
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by RTT Staff Writer
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