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..

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FDA Approves Kadcyla for Late-Stage Breast Cancer

T-DM1 Extends Overall Survival | News | Drug Discovery and Development Magazine

We know that,Trastuzumab emtansine (INN, also called trastuzumab-DM1 or trastuzumab-MCC-DM1, abbreviated T-DM1) is an antibody-drug conjugate consisting of the antibody trastuzumab (the active ingredient in Herceptin) linked to a cytotoxic agent that is a derivative of maytansine (DM1).

It is in clinical trials for breast cancer, especially of the HER2 positive type. Early results in Nov 2011 from an open-label phase II trial on 137 patients with HER2-positive advanced breast cancer were very encouraging.

EMILIA, a phase III trial of 991 people with HER2-positive unresectable locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer, comparing T-DM1 versus capecitabine plus lapatanib in patients previously treated with trastuzumab and a taxane chemotherapy, showed improved progression free survival in patients treated with T-DM1 (median 9.6 vs. 6.4 months) with an improved safety profile. The study sponsor reported in August 2012 that T-DM1 significantly improved survival in the EMILIA study and that the details will be reported at an upcoming medical meeting

T-DM1 Extends Overall Survival | News | Drug Discovery and Development Magazine