GSK Submits Tykerb for first-line treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer
 

GSK submits Tyverb®/Tykerb® (lapatinib) for first-line treatment of metastatic breast cancer in Europe, US


Issued: Wednesday 1st April 2009, London UK & Philadelphia, US
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) today announced the submission of two simultaneous regulatory applications to expand the use of Tyverb®/Tykerb® (lapatinib). If authorised, lapatinib could be used as a first-line therapy regimen combined with anti-hormonal therapy for patients with hormone-sensitive, metastatic (or advanced) breast cancer in Europe and the United States.
The variation to the EU marketing authorisation and the supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) were submitted respectively to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) and to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the combination of lapatinibplus an aromatase inhibitor based on the recent study, EGF30008. This study evaluated lapatinib in combination with letrozole in women with hormone receptor positive (HR+) metastatic breast cancer that may or may not also overexpress the HER2+/ErbB2+ receptor.
These data were presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in December 2008.
Breast cancer tumours which initially respond to anti-hormonal therapy such as letrozole can become resistant to treatment, leading to disease progression and ultimately, patient death.[i] Approximately 70 percent of all breast cancer cases are HR+[ii].
“Lapatinib with a hormone therapy is a biologically-rational targeted treatment, since the combination attacks two specific receptors that drive the cancer growth,” said Debasish Roychowdhury, MD, Head, Medicines Development, GSK Oncology. “If authorised, the combination could provide a cytotoxic chemotherapy-free option for these patients and we look forward to working with regulatory agencies to advance the availability of this regimen as a new, oral option for patients in first-line breast cancer.”

About Tyverb/Tykerb(lapatinib)
Lapatinib is an oral small-molecule inhibitor of the HER2/ErbB2 tyrosine kinase receptor. Stimulation of HER2/ErbB2 is associated with cell proliferation and with multiple processes involved in tumour progression and metastases. Overexpression of these receptors has been reported in a variety of human tumours and is associated with poor prognosis and reduced overall survival.
Lapatinib, in combination with capecitabine, is authorised in 74 countries. On March 13, 2007, the U.S. FDA approved lapatinib in combination with capecitabine for the treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic breast cancer whose tumours overexpress HER2/ErbB2 and who have received prior therapy including an anthracycline, a taxane, and trastuzumab. On June 10, 2008, the European Commission granted a conditional marketing authorisation for lapatinib in all 27 European Union (EU) member states. Other countries in which lapatinib is authorised for marketing include Australia, India, Brazil, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, South Korea, Taiwan and others around the world. Registration dossiers for lapatinib have been filed in Canada, China, Japan, Mexico and a number of countries in Latin America, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific.

Does this suggest Tykerb with Letrozole can work against hormone refractory Her2 cancer?

Rich

That is what this is saying. There was a European study about 4 years ago that used Herceptin with Arimidex as first line where a significant portion of women had over 2 yrs of progression free survival. This could be better in that Tykerb is oral (as is Femara) so no infusions and constant cancer center visits for treatment. Its a quality of life thing too. If you can get a couple of years (or even remission) without chemo, no hair loss etc - how great! Then save all the big chemo guns for later.