HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - ASCO new cheaper small molecule competitor to herceptin being developed

Lani · 06-03-2007, 12:46 PM

I am the one who posted on "curing" her2+er+ breast cancer in mice with the combination of herceptin, pertuzumab and gefinitib (Iressa)

The abstract I posted from ASCO, however, is about small molecule peptides (building blocks of proteins) which are not yet in development. It is not research being done by Genentech.

We have Genentech to thank for Herceptin and pertuzumab (if it gets approved) and they have a drug similar to Iressa, called Tarceva, which is also a small molecule rather than a monoclonal antibody (which herceptin and pertuzumab are) It is for that reason that I am hopeful (it is hard to get different drug companies to work together to do a clinical trial involving products they don't all make)

The hopeful news about this abstract is
1) it may be possible that the new peptides cross the blood-brain barrier

2) they may be cheaper

3) perhaps they can be made with an easier formulation, stay effective longer in adverse conditions, etc so that some of those in the third world can reap the benefits those in the US and EU and Australia , Japan, etc take for granted since herceptin was approved.

Should the new drugs be cheaper, perhaps they won't "break the bank" of the nationalized health care services of various countries and won't leave those in countries with private health insurance with unaffordable premiums or uncovered.

06-03-2007, 12:46 PM	#8
Lani Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 4,783	mea culpa (I am guilty) I am the one who posted on "curing" her2+er+ breast cancer in mice with the combination of herceptin, pertuzumab and gefinitib (Iressa) The abstract I posted from ASCO, however, is about small molecule peptides (building blocks of proteins) which are not yet in development. It is not research being done by Genentech. We have Genentech to thank for Herceptin and pertuzumab (if it gets approved) and they have a drug similar to Iressa, called Tarceva, which is also a small molecule rather than a monoclonal antibody (which herceptin and pertuzumab are) It is for that reason that I am hopeful (it is hard to get different drug companies to work together to do a clinical trial involving products they don't all make) The hopeful news about this abstract is 1) it may be possible that the new peptides cross the blood-brain barrier 2) they may be cheaper 3) perhaps they can be made with an easier formulation, stay effective longer in adverse conditions, etc so that some of those in the third world can reap the benefits those in the US and EU and Australia , Japan, etc take for granted since herceptin was approved. Should the new drugs be cheaper, perhaps they won't "break the bank" of the nationalized health care services of various countries and won't leave those in countries with private health insurance with unaffordable premiums or uncovered.