Genentech's T-DM1 significantly improved survival for metastatic breast cancer patients

Swiss drug major Roche (ROG: SIX) US subsidiary Genentech has announced updated results from the Phase III EMILIA study, which showed that trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) significantly extended the lives (improved overall survival) of people with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (mBC) compared to the combination of lapatinib and Xeloda (capecitabine).

The EMILIA study, in people with HER2-positive mBC who had previously received Herceptin (trastuzumab) and taxane chemotherapy, has now met both co-primary efficacy endpoints of significant improvements in overall survival and progression-free survival (PFS), the company said. These data will be presented at an upcoming medical meeting.

The results are important because European regulators had signaled they wanted proof the drug helps patients live longer before approving it, said Odile Rundquist, an analyst at Helvea SA quoted by Bloomberg. “Antibody-drug conjugates are really the future of cancer therapy,” Ms Rundquist told the news agency by phone. She estimates peak annual sales for T-DM1 of 1.6 billion Swiss francs ($1.67 billion).