- Could You Spot the Silent Symptoms of Stress?
- Gas Stoves Could Leave Your Lungs Vulnerable to Nitrogen Dioxide
- Key Therapy Equally Effective for Women, Men With Narrowed Leg Arteries
- Doctors Describe Texas Dairy Farm Worker’s Case of Bird Flu
- Does Preschool Boost Kids’ Long-Term Academic Success? Study Finds Mixed Results
- AI Might Spot Rare Diseases in Patients Years Earlier
- An Orangutan Healed Himself With Medicinal Plant
- Quit-Smoking Meds Not Working for You? Try Upping the Dose
- Fewer Americans Are Suffering Most Dangerous Form of Heart Attack
- Even Skipping Meat for One Meal Helps Liver Disease Patients
Perjeta Approved for Early Stage Breast Cancer
MONDAY, Sept. 30The anti-cancer drug Perjeta (pertuzumab) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat early-stage breast cancer before surgery, the agency said Monday.
In 2012, the drug was approved to treat advanced or spreading (metastatic) HER-2 positive breast cancer, which is triggered by increased amounts of a protein that fuels the growth of cancer cells, the FDA said in a news release.
The drug’s new use is meant for people with HER-2 positive early-stage breast cancer who are at increased risk of the cancer returning, spreading or of dying from the disease, the agency said. The drug is to be used with in combination with chemotherapy before surgery.
Perjeta’s safety and effectiveness were evaluated for the new use in a clinical study involving 417 people, the FDA said. A “confirmatory” study involving more than 4,800 people is ongoing, with results expected in 2016.
Perjeta is marketed by San Francisco-based Genentech, a member of the Roche Group.
More information
To learn more about this approval, visit the FDA.
Source: HealthDay
Copyright © 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.