Latest news with #Herceptin
9 News
4 days ago
- Health
- 9 News
Wendy's cancer might be incurable, but she just wants to help future patients
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here When Wendy Clift went for a routine breast scan in 2007, she got call from her doctors almost immediately. "The news wasn't good," the widowed grandmother of two from Scone in regional NSW told Wendy Clift was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007. (Supplied) Just days later, she had a mastectomy, followed by more treatment. While it was successful in keeping her in remission for a few years, the cancer has now returned and it has spread. However, Clift, now 72, was invited to be part of a new Australian drug trial. It's hoped it could help patients with a certain kind of breast cancer live longer. The DIAmOND clinical trial showed adding dual immunotherapy to existing treatments could be promising for some patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer. Clift said her cancer appears to be "pretty stable" after the trial earlier this year, which she did at Lake Macquarie Private Hospital. Some of the cancerous lumps she had have even disappeared, though she doesn't know if that's due to the new drug combination. Clift said she didn't have side effects. She said taking part in the trial was less about her and more to help future patients. "I'm just prepared because whatever happens to me is neither here nor there, but hopefully in years to come it'll help somebody else," she said. Immunotherapy is a treatment that uses a person's immune system to treat certain cancers. Wendy Clift, pictured with son Joshua and grandchildren Florence and Arthur, says she just wants to help future cancer patients. (Supplied) The other drug used alongside this in the trial was trastuzumab, commonly known as Herceptin. The trial aimed to see if combining the two could prolong the amount of time cancer was under control in patients with advanced disease which had become resistant to trastuzumab. Results differed depending on the kind of cancer each of the 68 trial patients had. Some had a response rate of up to 63 per cent, while for other kinds it was 27 per cent. Some patients saw their cancer controlled for more than two years. The combination of drugs has been given previously to people with lung cancer. Professor Sherene Loi developed and led the trial, which was conducted by the research organisation Breast Cancer Trials. "These promising results suggest combining new immunotherapy treatments with trastuzumab may offer a new treatment option for patients with treatment-resistant HER2-positive breast cancer," Loi said. "These findings provide a compelling case for further exploration and how we can best integrate this treatment combination into clinical practice." HER2-positive breast cancer is a type of breast cancer that tests positive for a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). However, it often responds well to specific treatments. Around 15-20 per cent of all types of breast cancers are HER2-positive. It is more common in younger, pre-menopausal women. cancer health drugs Australia medical national New South Wales CONTACT US Auto news:Is this the next Subaru WRX? Mysterious performance car teased.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Dr Elisabeth Whipp, innovative oncologist who spoke out on television against ‘postcode prescribing'
Dr Elisabeth Whipp, who has died aged 77, was a leading oncologist who was suspended from Bristol Royal Infirmary in 2002 for carrying out an unapproved form of radiotherapy treatment; she was later cleared of wrongdoing, amid suggestions that her real transgression had been to make public criticisms of the vagaries of NHS funding. She made headlines in 1997 when she spoke out in an edition of Channel 4's Dispatches against the increasing prevalence of 'postcode prescribing'. She had been treating two breast cancer patients with the drug Taxol; one was from Taunton, and her treatment was funded by the Somerset Health Authority, but the second woman, from Bristol, had to negotiate an overdraft to raise £10,000 to pay for the drugs herself. 'There is always embarrassment about patients having to buy a drug,' Liz Whipp complained. 'After many years in the NHS I'm not used to bargaining with money.' In response, the Avon Health Authority argued that the money was more urgently needed for breast-care nurses. Liz Whipp was back in the news in early 2003 when it emerged that she had been suspended some weeks earlier amid questions over the experimental radiotherapy she had been prescribing. Previously, the location of tumour beds had been difficult to pinpoint and radiation had to be directed over the whole breast, with care taken to keep the dose low enough to minimise the risk of damaging the heart. Liz Whipp's innovation had been to use newly developed MRI scanners to locate the tumour beds more precisely and then target higher doses of radiation at a smaller area. Some of her colleagues considered that she was underestimating the risks that these higher doses posed, and Bristol Royal Infirmary took the decision to investigate her for carrying out treatment that had not been authorised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice). 'If we allow unfettered clinical freedom to take place we will end up with situations where patients will receive treatments which are not in accordance with Nice guidance,' a hospital spokesman insisted. Liz Whipp suggested in later life, however, that certain male colleagues had not approved of her breaking the omerta around NHS funding and had been waiting for an opportunity to take her down a peg. She was suspected of having broken rules by encouraging patients to complain to their MPs about NHS restrictions on the availability of drugs such as Herceptin. The suspension of Liz Whipp became a cause célèbre, with the shadow health secretary Liam Fox arguing that she was the victim of an NHS culture that victimised whistleblowers: 'I can't see any case to say this doctor acted in an unprofessional way. In fact, it seems to have been quite the opposite and she has acted in the interest of her patients. Dr Whipp has been suspended for what we regard as totally spurious reasons.' Her former patients queued up to praise her. One 77-year-old man told the press: 'She is an extremely compassionate woman and very sympathetic. She was the best doctor I could have had and I think that she saved my life.' Liz Whipp – who pointed out that, of 542 patients given the experimental treatment, only two had seen their cancer return – claimed that she had in fact always followed Nice guidelines. Nevertheless she was suspended for nearly two years while the United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust investigated her. She was completely exonerated, but although she returned to work she was deeply pained by the experience and grieved by the thought that many patients had died unnecessarily while her treatment programme was on hold. The daughter of Brian Whipp, an academic, Elisabeth Clare Whipp was born on September 9 1947. She read medicine at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, and worked at the London Hospital and the Royal Free Hospital before moving to Bristol in the early 1980s. As a long-serving radiotherapy consultant at the Royal Infirmary's Haematology and Oncology Centre, Liz Whipp gained a reputation for speaking her mind. In 1983 she made waves by criticising Prince Charles for visiting the Bristol Cancer Help Centre, a charity that was advocating the rejection of orthodox medicine in favour of alternative treatments: 'I do feel strongly about the Prince of Wales making a Royal tour of something that's full of bogus notions.' She became renowned for her innovative thinking, which was not confined to the development of radiotherapy. Convinced that the mental welfare of patients played a large role in their recovery, she appointed a clinical psychologist, Dr James Brennan, to work with her at Bristol; this was the first full-time clinical psychology post in cancer services in the NHS. Experience taught her that when it came to coping with cancer, 'single women… do better, because they tend to have women friends, whereas a lot of married women have husbands they can't talk to about health.' Described by one friend as 'a statuesque woman, combining a pre-Raphaelite beauty with the charisma of a Valkyrie', Liz Whipp was a keen painter and a fine pianist and singer: on one occasion she found herself in a musical duel with Germaine Greer, competing to see who could give the better rendering of the Queen of the Night's aria from The Magic Flute. She had recently finished the first draft of a gleefully horrific thriller, utilising her medical background to devise a series of especially gruesome murders. She created a beautiful garden at her home in Clifton, finding room in a relatively small space for a pool of koi carp, a stream, quiet pathways, a grotto and a bamboo grove. Her wide circle of friends was treated to extravagant garden parties complete with fireworks. On one occasion a neighbour disgruntled by the noise spitefully padlocked the gates at the end of her drive to inconvenience the guests – a futile gesture, as no guest at one of Liz Whipp's parties left until they absolutely had to. Elisabeth Whipp, born September 9 1947, died April 26 2025 Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Forbes
03-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Is Merck Stock About To Crash?
CHONGQING, CHINA - APRIL 20: In this photo illustration, the Merck logo is displayed on a smartphone ... More screen, with the company's green-themed branding visible in the background, on April 20, 2025, in Chongqing, China. (Photo by) Why would you consider buying Johnson & Johnson stock (NYSE:JNJ) at 17 times its trailing earnings when Merck stock (NYSE: MRK) trades at around 13 times? After all, Merck has nearly 10% average revenue growth compared to J&J's modest 4%, and Merck's operating cash flow margins are a healthier 33% versus J&J's 28%. This means more of Merck's robust top-line growth translates directly into free cash flow, which can be reinvested or returned to shareholders. So, why choose J&J over Merck? One could argue that J&J offers greater stability, with over a century of established operations. Merck's impressive recent growth, however, is largely attributed to the success of Keytruda, its blockbuster oncology drug. The concern is that this growth might not be sustainable, especially with increasing competition in the oncology space. See – Merck Stock's Ticking Keytruda Time Bomb. Here's the thing. Merck faces a significant challenge as Keytruda, accounting for nearly half of its revenue, loses U.S. market exclusivity in 2028. The drug's sales have soared, reaching $29 billion last year, but this reliance sets Merck up for a steep decline. History shows the dramatic impact of biosimilars: AbbVie's Humira sales plummeted by nearly 60% in just two years post-patent expiration, and Roche's Herceptin saw a similar sharp drop. Keytruda's sales are projected to peak around $36 billion by 2028, but a rapid decline to under $20 billion (or even $15 billion) is highly probable once biosimilar competition begins. This will inevitably slow Merck's growth and is expected to significantly impact its valuation. This scenario underscores the importance of building a resilient investment portfolio that balances risk and reward. Our Trefis High Quality (HQ) portfolio exemplifies this approach, having significantly outperformed the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Russell 2000, clocking in over 91% returns since inception. Balancing risk and reward is precisely why diversifying across multiple stocks is crucial. Comparing Merck with J&J highlights the critical risk-reward trade-offs in investment decisions. In practice, investment choices are about understanding relative attractiveness. Should you buy J&J stock, keep your money in an interest-earning cash account, or invest in an S&P 500 ETF? You need to assess if the expected return on J&J stock sufficiently outweighs the return on cash, and what downside risk you're accepting for that potential extra return. Using a specific "anchor" asset, like Merck in this case, serves as a powerful tool to evaluate these risk-reward dynamics.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Enhertu potential broadens as new data point to frontline breast cancer role
This story was originally published on BioPharma Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily BioPharma Dive newsletter. CHICAGO — Enhertu, the antibody-drug conjugate developed by AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo, year by year proves more indispensable in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. Already enmeshed in clinical practice as a go-to choice for tumors that have come back once, Enhertu could soon have a role to play in initial treatment as well. On Monday, researchers shared results from a large trial showing Enhertu together with an older drug called Perjeta offer greater benefit in certain tumors than the current first-line standard, which includes Perjeta, the stalwart breast cancer drug Herceptin and chemotherapy. The data will be presented Monday morning at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting held here. Known as Destiny-Breast09, the Phase 3 trial focused on people whose breast tumors were either locally advanced or had metastasized, and tested positive for a protein, HER2, that typically signals faster-spreading cancer. About 15% to 20% of breast cancers are HER2-positive and for decades now have been treated by Herceptin, Perjeta and other treatments that home in on the protein. Enhertu is one of the newest — and most powerful — iterations. It consists of a HER2-targeting antibody linked to a tumor-killing toxin. Since winning its first U.S. approval in 2019, the drug has marched upwards through breast cancer treatment lines and into new uses in lung and stomach cancers. Last year, sales reached $3.7 billion. Sales could rise further should findings from Destiny-Breast09 support frontline use in HER2-positive metastatic disease. In the trial, treatment with Enhertu and Perjeta delayed cancer growth for longer than the established regimen of Perjeta, Herceptin and chemotherapy, which is known by the acronym THP. Progression-free survival, which measures time from treatment to disease progression or death, reached a median of nearly 41 months among the 383 patients who received Enhertu and Perjeta, versus 27 months among the 387 given THP. 'That's a phenomenal advantage in progression-free survival and it's definitely practice-changing,' said Vishwanath Sathyanarayanan, a medical oncologist and an academic advisor at Apollo Hospitals in Bangalore, India. Eleonora Teplinsky, head of breast and gynecologic medical oncology at New Jersey's Valley-Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Care, agreed, although she cautioned that Enhertu comes with its own safety risks. 'While keeping an eye on [Enhertu's] toxicity, it's really hard to ignore that data.' About 15% of patients given Enhertu plus Perjeta had a complete response following treatment — meaning no detectable signs of cancer — versus 8.5% among those on THP. Researchers could not yet statistically determine whether the Enhertu regimen offered a benefit in survival, but reported that data are trending in that direction. Patients will continue to be monitored for further analysis later. AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo, which announced Destiny-Breast09 succeeded in late April, have said they plan to share the trial data with regulators. But they haven't clarified when they might seek an approval of Enhertu as part of first-line treatment. Should it win an OK, doctors will have to grapple with a number of trade-offs and unanswered questions, not least of which are Enhertu's side effects. The drug's current labeling carries a 'black box' warning for interstitial lung disease and pneumonitis, which can be life-threatening. In Destiny-Breast09, this side effect occurred in 46 patients treated with Enhertu and Perjeta, compared to only 4 who received THP. While most cases were mild, two of the Enhertu-treated patients died. Most participants in the trial were under 65 years old. As a result, Teplinsky said, it is not clear how well older patients might fare with Enhertu and Perjeta in the first-line setting. Results from another study presented at ASCO suggest that, in mild cases of interstitial lung disease, Enhertu can be reintroduced after the side effect has been brought under control. Moving Enhertu earlier in treatment also raises questions about how long it should be given and, if patients' disease progresses, what should be administered afterwards. 'Is this for all patients at the beginning of treatment? We don't know,' said Rebecca Dent, the deputy clinical chief executive officer at National Cancer Center Singapore, in a press conference with reporters. 'Is there a way to sequence this induction therapy that includes [Enhertu] followed by a maintenance stage of treatment?' Destiny-Breast09 is also evaluating a third group of 387 patients who were given only Enhertu and a placebo. Researchers didn't yet have sufficient data to compare that arm to the other two when they conducted their initial, interim analysis. Evidence supporting Enhertu monotherapy over THP would be significant if it materializes, said Sathyanarayanan, who noted that giving multiple, expensive drugs in combination can be challenging in low- and middle-income countries. AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo are studying Enhertu in even earlier settings, testing whether it could be given before or after surgery to remove a tumor. Last month, the companies said a study called Destiny-Breast11 succeeded, finding Enhertu followed by THP improved complete response rates versus standard of care when used before surgery. And in stomach cancer, study data presented at ASCO on Saturday could help cement Enhertu's place as a second-line treatment option for gastric tumors. Recommended Reading At ASCO, Enhertu cements growing role in stomach cancer care
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
At ASCO, Enhertu cements growing role in stomach cancer care
This story was originally published on BioPharma Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily BioPharma Dive newsletter. AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo's targeted cancer medicine Enhertu helped participants in a late-stage clinical trial with a type of advanced gastric cancer live longer than those who received a commonly prescribed, two-drug regimen involving chemotherapy. The finding, detailed Saturday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting, gives physicians a clearer choice for when patients' disease progresses after initial treatment. Data from the trial should also shore up AstraZeneca and Daiichi's market position. Enhertu already won Food and Drug Administration approval for gastric cancer that's positive for a protein called HER2 following first-line treatment with Herceptin, an older HER2-targeting medicine. A so-called antibody-drug conjugate, Enhertu combines the active agent in Herceptin with a chemotherapy toxin, delivering a more potent drug dose directly to HER2-expressing tumor cells than can be administered otherwise. It is one of six blockbuster cancer drugs sold by AstraZeneca and the fastest growing one, with more than $3 billion in 2024 revenue. Cyramza, an Eli Lilly drug, is FDA-approved for gastric cancer that progresses following chemo. Small trials have suggested that, with Herceptin and chemo or just chemo, Cyramza can improve response rates and survival in people whose disease progressed on Herceptin. It is part of the standard second-line regimen Enhertu was tested against. In AstraZeneca and Daiichi's trial, called Destiny-Gastric04, investigators randomized nearly 500 people with HER2-positive cancer who had progressed on Herceptin to receive either Enhertu or Cyramza plus a chemotherapy drug called paclitaxel. The trial measured overall survival as its main goal, with progression-free survival and response rates secondary endpoints. Results showed that Enhertu reduced the risk of death by 30%, extending median survival by 3.3 months to reach 14.7 months, compared to 11.4 months for the Cyramza-chemo combination. The antibody-drug conjugate also reduced the risk of progression by 26%, delaying relapse or death by 1.1 months when compared to Cyramza and chemo. Among Enhertu-treated patients, 44% had their tumors shrink or disappear, significantly more than the 29% of people given Cyramza and chemo. 'This study is practice-validating in the U.S., given [Enhertu's] existing inclusion in guidelines and current use in the second-line setting,' Pamela Kunz, a Yale University specialist in gastrointestinal cancer, said in a press conference ahead of the ASCO meeting. 'It will be practice-changing in many countries outside of the U.S., and will really position [Enhertu] as a preferred second-line treatment.' The trial's findings only apply to HER2-positive patients, which account for as much as one-sixth of the roughly 30,000 new cases of stomach cancer each year. Nearly all trial participants experienced side effects from treatment, although a slightly higher 93% of people who received Enhertu reported side effects compared with 91% on Cyramza. Similar numbers, around half in each group, had side effects judged to be severe or worse. Nearly 14% given Enhertu experienced inflammation or scarring of lung tissue, a known side effect of the drug that previously prompted the FDA to put a 'black box' warning on its label. Kunz said the incidence of lung damage should prompt doctors to 'take note' and 'think about patient selection and consider patient comorbidities' before prescribing Enhertu. With Enhertu's place in the second-line setting now established, AstraZeneca and Daiichi are working to expand its use further by testing it in newly diagnosed people with inoperable HER2-positive tumors. The Destiny-Gastric05 trial is studying it in combination with Merck & Co.'s immunotherapy Keytruda and chemo head-to-head against the FDA-approved regimen of Herceptin, Keytruda and chemo. Results may not be available for three years, however.
