India Pharma Outlook Team | Thursday, 12 May 2022
Roche Pharma on Thursday announced the launch of PHESGO, the fixed dose combination of two monoclonal antibodies in oncology for the treatment of HER-2 positive breast cancer now available in India. The drug combines two proven blockbuster monoclonal antibodies: Perjeta (pertuzumab) and Herceptin (trastuzumab) in a single vial for subcutaneous administration.
The subcutaneous injection in combination with intravenous (IV) chemotherapy, for the treatment of early and metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer. Informing that this is the first time that Roche Pharma has combined two monoclonal antibodies that can be administered by a single SC injection, the company also stated that it is also the world’s first subcutaneous therapy for breast cancer that offers faster, more comfortable administration of Perjeta and Herceptin under the skin in just minutes, compared to multiple hours with standard intravenous administration. "It is administered as a single injection just under the skin in the thigh. Takes a few minutes compared to hours with IV formulations for each round of treatment, thus reducing chair time for patients by 90 per cent.
Provides a faster, more convenient, and less invasive means to receive breast cancer therapy Faster administration through PHESGO gives the confidence and frees up time for everyone (patients, caregivers, doctors and paramedical staff), shorter appointments, freeing up time of HCPs to treat more patients," the firm said in a statement. Further added that PHESGO was first approved by the
USFDA in June 2020 during the peak of the COVID pandemic, by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in December 2020, and has been recognised in the NCCN treatment guidelines. In India, PHESGO was approved by the DCGI in October 2021 and the import license was granted in January 2022. Globally, over 17000 breast cancer patients have benefitted from PHESGO as on December 2021. As per our phase II PHranceSCa study1, 85 per cent of people have said to be receiving treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer preferred treatment with PHESGO compared to IV administration due to less time in the clinic and more comfortable treatment administration.
Commenting on the launch, V Simpson Emmanuel, CEO and Managing Director, Roche Pharma India said, “PHESGO is a pathbreaking drug that will provide convenience and improve quality of life of patients suffering from breast cancer by significantly reducing the in-clinic time for them. Patients and their caregivers can now look forward to spending less time at the hospital and more time doing what they like most. It will also enhance the efficiency of healthcare systems since it requires less preparation and administration time.
Faster administration frees up time for both patients and healthcare professionals and provides cost saving benefits to healthcare systems.” Highlighting that PHESGO can help breast cancer patients continue receiving their treatment due to significantly shorter administration time and convenience of subcutaneous administration, potentially moving the treatment from oncology wards to daycare and OPD settings, Dr. Shona Nag, Director of Oncology, Sahyadri Group of Hospitals, said, “Cancer treatment is very resource intensive and time consuming. Patients have to visit the hospital many times and undergo long infusion procedures.
This puts a huge demand on the patient, their caregivers, and the healthcare staff at a hospital. PHESGO can significantly improve the quality of life of a patient and their caregiver while undergoing treatment and reduce the burden on the healthcare professionals, enabling them to treat more patients."
, CDSCO.jpg)
