AstraZeneca-Daiichi's Enhertu reports positive survival rate results

A treatment for breast cancer developed by AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo has been shown to double the progression-free survival rates of patients compared with chemotherapy, according to trial data released on the weekend at a conference.

The drug, Enhertu, is an antibody treatment that targets cancers linked to a protein known as HER2.

A clinical trial of more than 550 patients found those using the drug had a 49% reduction in risk of the cancer progressing and a 36% reduction in risk of death compared to those on chemotherapy treatment.

"The results show for the first time that a HER2-directed therapy can provide a survival benefit to patients with low HER2 expression, indicating we must reconsider the way we categorise patients with metastatic breast cancer,” said Shanu Modi, a medical oncologist and principal investigator for the trial.