Latest Herceptin Stories

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARIA) today announced that it has initiated a Phase 2 clinical trial to examine the efficacy and safety of oral deforolimus, its investigational mTOR inhibitor, in patients with advanced breast cancer. In collaboration with Merck & Co. Inc., deforolimus is currently being evaluated in multiple clinical trials, both alone and in combination with other therapies, for the treatment of patients with several different cancer types. Under terms of the agreement,...

Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:CYCC, NASDAQ:CYCCP) announced the publication of a study conducted by Cyclacel scientists showing synergistic activity between its investigational therapy seliciclib and multiple epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors, including erlotinib (Tarceva(R)) in models of non-small cell lung cancer and the HER2 targeting agent, trastuzumab (Herceptin(R)) in models of breast cancer. These preclinical results were published in the July issue of the...

Invitrogen Corporation, (NASDAQ:IVGN), a provider of essential life science technologies for research, production and diagnostics, today announced it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) premarket approval (PMA) for its SPOT-Light(R) HER2 CISH Kit, indicated as an aid in the assessment of breast cancer patients for whom trastuzumab (Herceptin(R)) treatment is being considered. The approval marks the first PMA that Invitrogen has received from the FDA. "The introduction of the...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it's approved a genetic test for determining if breast cancer patients should be treated with the drug Herceptin. The SPOT-Light HER2 CISH kit is a test that measures the number of copies of the HER2 gene in tumor tissue. That gene regulates the growth of cancer cells. A healthy breast cell has two copies of the HER2 gene, which regulates how cells grow, divide and make repairs. The FDA said patients with breast cancer might have more copies of the...

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., July 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Monogram Biosciences, Inc. today announced that, effective July 15, the HERmark(TM) Breast Cancer Assay will be available to physicians throughout the U.S. for assessment of HER2 status in patients with breast cancer. HERmark provides a precise and quantitative measurement of HER2 total protein and HER2 homodimer levels and will be offered as a CLIA-validated assay through Monogram's CAP-certified clinical laboratory....

By MUSSEN, Deidre WHEN AUCKLAND cancer patient and mother of three Tui Allen needs her regular dose of Herceptin, she gets on a plane and flies to Palmerston North. The effort is saving her nearly $40,000 a year. That's the difference between the price an Auckland cancer specialist told her she'd have to pay for the drug, and the price on offer in Palmerston North. Allen was diagnosed last year, at only 40, with an aggressive breast cancer and was told she needed Herceptin. But her...

By Hicks, David G Kulkarni, Swati * Context.-Overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is an adverse prognostic parameter for patients with breast cancer. Patients with HER2- positive tumors are, however, likely to gain significant benefit from targeted therapy with trastuzumab. Four largescale trials have assessed the efficacy and safety of adjuvant trastuzumab. In all 4 trials, disease-free survival and overall survival were significantly improved with adjuvant...

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's cost-effectiveness watchdog issued final guidance on Wednesday recommending that Herceptin should be used in early breast cancer and be paid for by the state health service. The move by the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) clears the way for the drug to be prescribed on the National Health Service for women with aggressive HER2 breast cancer following surgery. NICE had given a preliminary green light to the Roche medicine in June...

By Ben Hirschler, European Pharmaceuticals Correspondent LONDON (Reuters) - Recent advances in treatment mean it is possible to start talking about curing some types of cancer, the world's biggest maker of cancer drugs said on Thursday. Swiss-based Roche argued the use of modern medicines, such as breast cancer drug Herceptin, at an early stage of disease was transforming the outlook for patients. "There is a quantum leap here," William Burns, Roche's head of pharmaceuticals, told...

By Lisa Richwine ATLANTA (Reuters) - An experimental drug added to chemotherapy slowed aggressive, late-stage breast cancers that resumed growing despite standard treatment with the drug Herceptin, U.S. researchers said on Saturday. The drug, Tykerb, by GlaxoSmithKline Plc, also showed potential to help some patients with advanced kidney cancer, another study showed. Glaxo hopes to begin selling the drug next year, but must await regulatory approval. Industry analysts predict it could...