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Newsday has reported this week on two exciting new drugs that are being hailed as the latest major development in breast cancer treatment since the introduction of the drug, Herceptin, in 1998.
Both drugs go after cells that disproportionately release the protein HER2. This is a condition, which occurs in 20-25% of breast cancer cases. Both drugs complement each other.
One experimental drug, Genentech's pertuzumab, was shown in an international study to inhibit the development of the cancer for a median 18 months, rather than the standard 12 months for the control group. The drug also seems to be improving survivability. Genentech, a Swedish company, applied this Tuesday, December 6, to the FDA for approval to be used for initial treatments.
The second drug, everolimus, which is used in organ transplants and sold by Novartis AG as "Afinitor," was shown to inhibit the progress of the cancer by a median 7 months, rather than the standard 3 months. This is for women whose cancers were getting worse thanks to estrogen. The drug was shown to be far superior to alternative hormone-inhibitor drugs.
The downside is that these drugs cost $10,000 per month and that they are not cures. However, scientists hope further tests reveal that the drugs are able to work better for cancers that have not yet progressed as much as those in the recent studies.
40,000 American women are faced with metastasizing breast cancer each year.
As a practicing medical malpractice & wrongful death trial attorney in New York, I speak to patients who believe their cancer was not timely diagnosed. As part of our discussion I often ask about new drugs, medications and clinical trials to learn about their treatment options.
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