ENHERTU® (fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki) approved in the US as first HER2-directed therapy for patients with HER2-low or HER2-ultralow metastatic breast cancer following disease progression after one or more endocrine therapies

In This Article:

Based on DESTINY-Breast06 Phase III trial results which showed ENHERTU demonstrated superiority vs. chemotherapy with a median progression-free survival of more than one year

Approval brings AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo’s ENHERTU to an earlier HR-positive treatment setting and broadens the patient population eligible for treatment with a HER2-directed therapy to those with HER2-ultralow disease

WILMINGTON, Del., January 27, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo’s ENHERTU® (fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki) has been approved in the US for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-low (IHC 1+ or IHC 2+/ISH-) or HER2-ultralow (IHC 0 with membrane staining) breast cancer, as determined by a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved test, that has progressed on one or more endocrine therapies in the metastatic setting.

The approval was granted by the FDA after securing Priority Review and Breakthrough Therapy Designation and was based on results from the DESTINY-Breast06 Phase III trial, which were presented at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Meeting and published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Aditya Bardia, MD, MPH, Program Director of Breast Oncology and Director of Translational Research Integration, UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, US, and investigator in the DESTINY-Breast06 trial, said: "Endocrine therapy is typically used in the initial treatment of HR-positive metastatic breast cancer and following progression, subsequent chemotherapy is associated with poor outcomes. With a median progression-free survival exceeding one year and a response rate of more than 60 percent, trastuzumab deruxtecan offers a potential new standard of care for patients with HR-positive, HER2-low or HER2-ultralow metastatic breast cancer following endocrine therapy."

Dave Fredrickson, Executive Vice President, Oncology Hematology Business Unit, AstraZeneca, said: "Building on the practice-changing previous approvals for ENHERTU, this new approval brings this important medicine to an earlier treatment setting and a broader patient population with HER2-expressing metastatic breast cancer. The approval also highlights the importance of testing metastatic breast cancer tumors for detectable staining with a standard IHC test to identify those who may be eligible for treatment with ENHERTU following endocrine therapy."

Ken Keller, Global Head of Oncology Business, and President and CEO, Daiichi Sankyo, said: "ENHERTU continues to redefine the classification and treatment of HR-positive metastatic breast cancer with important new data across the spectrum of HER2 expression. Today’s approval underscores our ongoing commitment to realizing the full potential of this innovative antibody drug conjugate and represents another paradigm shift in how certain breast cancers can be treated."