Roche's T-DM1 Shows Improvement in Progression-free Survival

The Phase II study showed that people who received trastuzumab emtansine experienced a 41 percent reduction in the risk of their disease worsening or death and lived a median of five months longer without their disease worsening.

Pharmaceutical giant Roche released the results of the Phase II study TDM4450g in patients with previously untreated HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (mBC). The study compared trastuzumab emtansine (also known as T-DM1) to standard treatment with Herceptin (trastuzumab) plus docetaxel chemotherapy.

The results showed that people who received trastuzumab emtansine experienced a 41 percent reduction in the risk of their disease worsening or death (progression-free survival, PFS) and lived a median of five months longer without their disease worsening (HR=0.59, median PFS 14.2 months vs. 9.2 months).

In addition, people who received trastuzumab emtansine experienced fewer common and severe adverse events