Roche shares rise following release of cancer study data

Genentech, majority-owned by Swiss drugmaker Roche, performed the research comparing Herceptin (trastuzumab) and chemotherapy to chemotherapy alone. Their results indicate patients not only benefited from a decreased reoccurrence in breast cancer but also an increased survival rate using the joint treatment.

The two large North American phase III studies showed that the use of Herceptin significantly increases survival for women with early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer. These results provide the first evidence that Herceptin has the potential to reduce the risk of cancer coming back at an early stage and to prolong life for women with this aggressive form of the disease.

The investigation was so successful the US National Cancer Institute who sponsored the research, called an early halt to the study as the primary endpoint of disease free survival had already been reached.

“These results in early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer suggest that Herceptin may increase the chance of long-term survival by preventing the development of metastatic disease, and while further follow-up is necessary, they offer new hope to women suffering from this particularly aggressive form of breast cancer,” said William Burns, CEO of Roche’s Pharmaceuticals Division. “Given these latest data, determining HER2 status as soon as a patient is diagnosed is becoming an essential step in the management of breast cancer.”

Herceptin is a targeted therapeutic antibody treatment for women with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, an especially aggressive form of the disease that affects approximately one-fourth of women with breast cancer. The drug is marketed in the US by Genentech, in Japan by Chugai, and internationally by Roche. Sales are expected to grow following the release of the new trial data showing Herceptin and chemotherapy to give a 52% decrease in disease recurrence compared to chemotherapy alone