AstraZeneca's Enhertu Cancer Treatment Reduced Risk of Disease Progression by 72%

By Anthony O. Goriainoff

AstraZeneca PLC said Monday that its cancer treatment Enhertu reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 72% in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.

HER2 refers to a breast cancer that tests positive for a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2.

The U.K. pharmaceutical giant said that the DESTINY-Breast03 Phase 3 trial showed that Enhertu demonstrated superior progression-free survival versus trastuzumab emtansine, a HER2-directed antibody drug conjugate currently approved to treat patients with HER2-positive unresectable--unable to be removed by surgery--and/or metastatic breast cancer previously treated with trastuzumab and a taxane--a type of drug that blocks cell growth.

"The high and consistent benefit seen across efficacy endpoints and key subgroups of patients receiving Enhertu in DESTINY-Breast03 is remarkable and supports the potential of Enhertu to become the new standard of care for those who have previously been treated for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer," the company said.

Write to Anthony O. Goriainoff at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 20, 2021 02:33 ET (06:33 GMT)

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