Breast Cancer :: Glaxo’s Tykerb drug delays spread of breast cancer

GlaxoSmithKline’s new drug Tykerb dramatically slows the spread of aggressive late-stage breast cancer. Data from a Phase III study reporting that Tykerb? (lapatinib) plus Xeloda? (capecitabine) is superior to capecitabine alone in women with HER2 (ErbB2) positive advanced breast cancer who had progressed following prior therapy, including Herceptin? (trastuzumab), was published today in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

Based on the findings, the study authors concluded that given its distinct mechanism of action and activity, as a small molecule dual receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, lapatinib should be investigated for use in the earlier treatment of HER2 (ErbB2) positive breast cancer.1 Lapatinib is an investigational medicinal product and has not been approved for marketing by any regulatory body.

?Patients with advanced or metastatic HER2 (ErbB2) positive breast cancer have limited options once their cancer has progressed on trastuzumab and standard initial chemotherapy regimens. There has been a clear need for alternative treatments to help women with metastatic breast cancer in this advanced setting. Lapatinib combined with capecitabine has demonstrated superior efficacy over capecitabine alone in this group of patients and we look forward to it being made available to women suffering from this devastating disease,? said lead investigator Charles Geyer, M.D., Director of Breast Medical Oncology at Allegheny GeneralHospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.


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