Roche reports positive data from Perjeta breast cancer trial

Roche has published new clinical trial data demonstrating the survival benefits provided by its personalised breast cancer therapy Perjeta.

Data from the phase III Cleopatra trial has shown that HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer lived significantly longer when treated with a combination of Perjeta, Herceptin and docetaxel chemotherapy, compared to Herceptin and docetaxel alone.

The company has already received an approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for use of Perjeta in this specification, based on the results of this trial.

A marketing authorisation application has also been submitted for review to the European Medicines Agency.

Dr Hal Barron, chief medical officer and head for global product development, said: "We are pleased that Perjeta helped people with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer live longer and lengthened the time they lived without their disease worsening."

Last week, the company announced a new alliance with Seaside Therapeutics that will see the organisations jointly researching treatments for neurodevelopmental disorders.