AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo's commercialized HER2-directed therapy, Enhertu, demonstrated broad activity across HER2-expressing advanced solid tumors, according to results of an ongoing phase 2 trial.
In an interim analysis of the DESTINY-PanTumor02 trial was presented as a late-breaking oral presentation at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. In the study, previously treated patients with HER2-expressing advanced solid tumors including either biliary tract, bladder, cervical, endometrial, ovarian and pancreatic cancers or other tumors treated with Enhertu showed a confirmed objective response rate of 37.1%.
Nearly half of all patients in trial who achieved a response remained in response at one year and the median duration of response was 11.8 months
The trial results make Enhertu the first therapy to show broad activity across HER2-expressing advanced solid tumors — a space where there are currently no approved HER2-directed therapies.
“The results further reinforce the important role of antibody drug conjugates like Enhertu to provide potential new solutions to advance current standards of care in areas of high unmet need and improve the outcomes of patients,” said Mark Rutstein, M.D., global head, Oncology Development, Daiichi Sankyo.
Back in 2019, AstraZeneca inked a deal worth $6.9 billion with Daiichi Sankyo to jointly commercialize Enhertu, which at the time was in development for the treatment of multiple HER2-expressing cancers. The drug — now a blockbuster with worldwide sales of $1.3 billion last year — was first approved in late 2019 for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer and now holds additional approvals for HER2-low breast cancer, HER2-mutant non-small cell lung cancer, and HER2-positive esophagus cancer.
