Breast Cancer Drug Boost
On March 13, the FDA approved a new drug that in recent clinical trials, delayed the spread of advanced breast cancer who were no longer showing any reaction to Hereceptin. Hereceptin is a drug which affectively combats cancerous tumors filled with too much HER-2 protein.
The new drug called Tykerb, couple with chemotherapy, has show in clinical trials to do a better job of fighting breast cancer than chemo alone.
Dr. Steven Galson, director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research said, ?Today’s approval is a step forward in making new treatments available for patients who have progression of their breast cancer after treatment with some of the most effective breast cancer therapies available. New targeted therapies such as Tykerb are helping expand options for patients.?
But is there a place for the medication in the prevention of new breast cancer cases? That answer still remains elusive so we don’t know if it should be given to healthy women as a way of reducing breast cancer risk.
Tamoxifen must still undergo many tests and trials before it will even be considered for approval. But it is definitely a step in the right direction not to just find a new better cure, but to also realize where our current treatments fall short.