HERCEPTIN HELPS DELIVER A WARHEAD
HERCEPTIN HELPS DELIVER A WARHEAD
Roche and ImmunoGen reported on a "guided missile" combination drug called T-DM1 that shrank tumors by 30% or more in one-third of critically ill, advanced breast cancer patients in a trial. The therapy combines Roche's Herceptin with a second, potent cancer-killing drug from ImmunoGen, with Herceptin acting as the guidance system, using its ability to home in on cancer cells to deliver the treatment directly to its target.
Jason Kantor, an analyst for RBC Capital Markets in San Francisco, says the combination therapy has the potential to replace the use of Herceptin alone for patients whose breast cancer has spread. The news capped a strong year for ImmunoGen, which has seen its shares more than double this year under CEO Dan Junius.
There was additional good news for Herceptin, which had sales of $4.7 billion last year. A separate study at the meeting added to existing evidence that the drug can help breast cancer patients with the gene variant known as HER2 survive for five years after they are diagnosed. Women taking chemo drugs called anthracyclines in combination with Herceptin fared better than women taking the chemo without Roche's drugs.
