AstraZeneca’s breast cancer drug ‘Enhertu’ shows efficient results in trial stages

For ages, scientists and researchers have been looking for a ‘cure’ for cancer. Now, it seems like the renowned pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca has come close.

In an announcement, the company revealed that a late-stage trial has proven the efficiency of breast cancer medicine. Going by the name ‘Enhertu,’ the drug’s efficacy was confirmed in patients with advanced stages of the disease, who had also been treated with another drug.

600-patient study

During a patient study named, ‘DESTINY-Breast02 Phase III,’ Enhertu was examined on patients of the doctors’ choice, who had been diagnosed with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.

The DESTINY-Breast02 Phase III observed a similar patient group that underwent the DESTINY-Breast01 mid-stage study. This also laid the foundation for inceptive approvals in multiple countries.

Enhertu was successful in its objective of clinically improving progression-free survival. The drug also improved the overall survival rate, which was the second objective stated for the drug.

Promising results

AstraZeneca commented on the drug, stating that the HER2 proteins play a fundamental role in the development and progression of breast cancer. Also, it must be noted that one in five patients are HER2 positive.

AstraZeneca developed the drug Enhertu or Trastuzumab deruxtecan in partnership with Japanese company Daiichi Sankyo. Its shares went up by 2%, meanwhile, Daiichi Sankyo’s went up by 15%!

Enhertu was initially approved as a third-line treatment for HER2-positive patients in the United States in 2019. Since then, it has also got approvals for other breast, lung, and gastric cancer drugs. The medicine is a part of a class of treatment called ‘antibody-drug conjugates’ that have a monoclonal antibody linked to it chemically.

The results of the study will be shared at an upcoming scientific conference.

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