The breast cancer drug Tykerb may be one of the future wonder drugs available for women left with limited options for treating advanced-stage disease. Tykerb, manufactured by British-based GlaxoSmithKline PLC, is currently an experimental drug that delays growth of tumors nearly twice as long as standard chemotherapy in patients who no longer respond to Herceptin -- a targeted drug that significantly decreases chances of recurrence for women with HER2 positive breast cancer. Herceptin blocks the swift growth of an aggressive protein on the cell's surface while Tykerb does its work on the inside of the cell. Herceptin is given intravenously. Tykerb is given in pill form.
Two previous posts -- one in April and one in June -- relfect the progress of Tykerb as reported in the media. With each new report, Tykerb seems to gain momentum and promise. And this past week, new reports revealed new promise as Glaxo began seeking regulatory approval of the Tykerb pill in Europe.
Glaxo has filed an application with the Food and Drug Administration for approval of this drug and is preparing to market the drug for the treatment of advanced breast cancer in women. Glaxo hopes to launch Tykerb -- also known as lapatinib ditosylate -- next year.
1. I don't see why this drug won't be approved. It's a drug for advanced cancer; does that mean it's to prolong life but not get rid of the tumor? If it delays the growth of the tumor, does that mean it increases the chance of being able to remove the tumor completely? It's definitely a wonderful breakthrough. But it's a bit sad when I think of it as a pill to buy more time. I hope they find a cure for cancer soon. This pill is a positive sign that we are prgressing in the study of cancer treatment and cure.
Posted at 6:22PM on Nov 15th 2006 by Anthony Bourne