FDA Approves Kadcyla for Late-Stage Breast Cancer

We know that, Trastuzumab emtansine  in the United States, ado-trastuzumab emtansine, trade name Kadcyla) is anantibody-drug conjugate consisting of the monoclonal antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin) linked to the cytotoxic agentmertansine (DM1). Trastuzumab alone stops growth of cancer cells by binding to the HER2/neu receptor, whereas mertansine enters cells and destroys them by binding to tubulin. Because the monoclonal antibody targets HER2, and HER2 is only over-expressed in cancer cells, the conjugate delivers the toxin specifically to tumor cells.

In the EMILIA clinical trial of women with advanced HER2 positive breast cancer who were already resistant to trastuzumab alone, it improved survival by 5.8 months compared to the combination of lapatinib and capecitabine. Based on that trial, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved marketing on February 22, 2013.

Trastuzumab emtansine was developed by Genentech. The planned cost is expected to be $9,800 a month, or $94,000 for a typical course of treatment..

Now....

FDA Approves Kadcyla for Late-Stage Breast Cancer