Efficacy

Efficacy of Talzenna (talazoparib) in Breast Cancer

Talzenna (talazoparib) is a poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor used in the treatment of breast cancer. Specifically, it has been approved for patients with deleterious or suspected deleterious germline BRCA-mutated, HER2-negative locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer. The efficacy of Talzenna was demonstrated in the EMBRACA trial, a phase 3 study that compared talazoparib to standard chemotherapy. Patients receiving Talzenna experienced a significant improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) compared to those receiving chemotherapy. This suggests that Talzenna is effective in delaying the progression of BRCA-mutated breast cancer.

In addition to improving PFS, Talzenna has also shown a favorable impact on overall response rate (ORR), with a higher percentage of patients experiencing tumor shrinkage. This benefit was observed across various subgroups of patients, including those with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), indicating that Talzenna can be particularly effective in a subset of breast cancer patients with limited treatment options. However, overall survival (OS) data were not mature at the time of the initial analysis, and further studies are needed to determine the long-term survival benefits of Talzenna.

Efficacy of Kadcyla (trastuzumab emtansine) in Breast Cancer

Kadcyla (trastuzumab emtansine) is an antibody-drug conjugate that combines the HER2-targeting properties of trastuzumab with the cytotoxic agent DM1 (emtansine). It is approved for the treatment of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer in patients who have previously received trastuzumab and a taxane, separately or in combination. The efficacy of Kadcyla was established in the EMILIA trial, a phase 3 study that compared Kadcyla to lapatinib plus capecitabine in patients with HER2-positive advanced breast cancer. Results demonstrated that Kadcyla significantly improved both PFS and OS, indicating its role in prolonging the life of patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer.

Kadcyla has also been evaluated in the adjuvant setting for early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer in the KATHERINE trial. In this study, Kadcyla was given to patients who had residual invasive disease after neoadjuvant therapy. The trial showed a significant reduction in the risk of recurrence of invasive breast cancer or death, suggesting that Kadcyla is highly effective in reducing the likelihood of disease recurrence in this patient population. The results of these trials support the use of Kadcyla as a valuable treatment option for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, both in the metastatic and early-stage settings.