Thailand has approved a new breast cancer treatment that lowers the chance of recurrence and increases disease-free survival

(Singapore) Thailand has authorized the use of a novel breast cancer treatment that has been demonstrated to dramatically lower the chance of cancer recurrence and increase women's disease-free life.

As a single agent, the Thailand Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the oral drug NERLYNX® (neratinib) "for the extended adjuvant treatment of adult patients with early-stage hormone receptor positive HER2-overexpressed/amplified breast cancer and who completed adjuvant trastuzumab-based therapy less than one year ago." Furthermore, NERLYNX and capecitabine have been authorized "for the treatment of adult patients with advanced or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer who have had two or more prior anti-HER2 based regimens in the metastatic situation."

The greatest benefit is observed in women who are also hormone-receptor positive (HR+) and who start treatment within a year of finishing trastuzumab-based therapy. NERLYNX has been demonstrated to significantly lower the ongoing risk of recurrence in women with early breast cancer who test positive for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2+). The five-year risk of recurrence is lowered by as much as 42% for these women.

NERLYNX plus capecitabine (N+C) was reported to significantly enhance mean progression free survival (PFS) by 2.2 months in women with advanced or metastatic HER2+ breast cancer compared to those treated with lapatinib plus capecitabine (L+C). Patients treated with N+C had a longer duration of treatment response (8.5 months) than those treated with L+C (5.6 months), and at a median follow-up of 30 months, the risk of disease progression or death was lowered by up to 24%.

Under an exclusive license from Puma Biotechnology, Inc., Specialised Therapeutics (ST), an independent pharmaceutical business, is selling NERLYNX in Thailand.

SOURCE Specialised Therapeutics