Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Updated : May 12, 2022 6:51 PM IST
Roche Pharma on Thursday announced the India launch of PHESGO the world's first fixed dose combination of two monoclonal antibodies in oncology for the treatment of HER-2 positive breast cancer. This is the first time that the company has combined Perjeta (pertuzumab) and Herceptin (trastuzumab) that can be administered under the skin (subcutaneous administration) in one injection.
It can be administered in combination with intravenous (IV) chemotherapy for the treatment of early and metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer, the company said in a press release.
It is also the world's first subcutaneous therapy for breast cancer that offers faster, more comfortable administration of the two monoclonal antibodies under the skin in just minutes, compared to multiple hours with standard intravenous administration.
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.
The phase II PHranceSCa study by Roche Pharma showed that 85 per cent of people 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 path breaking 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."
Dr. Shona Nag, Director of Oncology, Sahyadri Group of Hospitals, Pune, 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."
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