Scotland recommends Roche’s Perjeta for HER2+ metastatic breast cancer
pharmafile | January 15, 2019 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Sales and Marketing | Breast cancer; Roche; Scotland, NHS, Perjeta, UK, pharma
Breast cancer patients in Scotland are set to receive an additional treatment option, as the Scottish Medicines Consortium announces its recommendation for Roche’s Perjeta (pertuzumab) to be used on the NHS for the treatment of HER2-positive metastatic forms of the disease.
The SMC made the judgement based on data from 808 patients illustrating a median progression-free survival rate of 18.5 months with Perjeta compared to 12.4 months in the control group. The drug also extended life by 15.7 months, with a median overall survival of 56.5 months compared to 40.8 months for the control group.
The decision means that an estimated 983 Scottish patients will be eligible to receive the drug in this indication per year. Metastatic breast cancer, delineating a case where the condition has spread to other parts of the body, cannot be cured but it can be treated.
“Currently in Scotland, we treat HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer with trastuzumab and chemotherapy. The addition of Perjeta has been shown to increase the survival of these patients by 15.7 months on average compared to our current standard of care,” explained Dr Iain Macpherson, Consultant Medical Oncologist at The Beatson Cancer Centre in Glasgow. “The decision is great news for Scottish patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer and could mean valuable additional time to spend with their friends and family.”
Richard Erwin, Roche’s General Manager, added: “We’re very pleased that Perjeta will now be available to metastatic breast cancer patients in Scotland. Perjeta was also recently approved for use in the neoadjuvant, or pre-surgery, setting by SMC and we will be submitting for approval in the adjuvant, or post-surgery, setting later this year. We look forward to a continuing to build on our successful and productive relationship with SMC to benefit all appropriate breast cancer patients.”
Matt Fellows
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