AstraZeneca, Daiichi Sankyo Say Enhertu with Pertuzumab for Breast Cancer

When compared to a taxane, trastuzumab and pertuzumab (THP) as a first-line treatment for patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan) in combination with pertuzumab showed a highly statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival (PFS), according to positive high-level results from a planned interim analysis of the DESTINY-Breast09 Phase III trial.All pre-specified patient subgroups showed an improvement in PFS when using Enhertu in conjunction with pertuzumab. At the time of these announced plans for intermediate analysis, the important secondary objective of overall survival (OS) was not yet mature; nonetheless, interim OS data indicated an early trend favoring the Enhertu combination over THP.15–25% of individuals with metastatic breast cancer have HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, an aggressive illness caused by HER2 over expression or amplification.1 the majority of patients experience disease progression within two years of receiving first-line treatment with THP, which has been the standard of care for over ten years, despite the fact that HER2-targeted treatments and clinical practices have improved results. Furthermore, because of illness progression or death, about one in three patients never receive treatment after first-line therapy.

Susan Galbraith, Executive Vice President, Oncology Haematology R&D, AstraZeneca, said: “This is the first trial in more than a decade to demonstrate superior efficacy across a broad HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patient population compared to the current 1st-line standard of care. This is a significant milestone for patients and sets the foundation for Enhertu in combination with pertuzumab as an important treatment option in the first-line HER2-positive setting.”