Cork firm to produce new cancer drug

A BREAST cancer drug which reportedly prolongs the lives of women in advanced stages of the condition is to be produced in Cork after pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline received an EU licence for the treatment.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has announced that the European Commission has granted a conditional marketing authorisation for Tyverb otherwise known as Lapatinib, the first oral, small molecule dual targeted therapy, for all 27 EU member states.

It is thought Lapatinib could be as successful as Herceptin, the gold-standard treatment for breast cancer. The drug has been shown in clinical trials to slow the progression of advanced breast cancer by more than 50%.

The green light from the European Commission, granting the medicine a conditional marketing authorisation, had been expected after a positive recommendation from the European Medicines Agency in April.

Lapatinib, in combination with capecitabine, is indicated for the treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic breast cancer.

Patients with advanced breast cancer usually have limited treatment.

Medical experts say the launch of Lapatinib will give hope to those diagnosed with the more aggressive form of the disease when it no longer responds to Herceptin.

Lapatinib has a novel mechanism of action that is different from current licensed targeted therapies. It is a small molecule that is administered orally and works by getting inside the cancer cell and inhibiting two receptor proteins. The signalling of these receptors is responsible for tumour growth and proliferation.

Dr Paolo Paoletti, Global Head of the Oncology Medicine Development Centre at GSK said Lapatinib signifies a genuine advancement in the treatment of ErbB2-positive breast cancer.

“These patients are in real need of alternative therapies and we at GSK are proud to make this important new treatment option available to them.

“The authorisation of Lapatinib demonstrates our strong commitment to the discovery and development of novel anti-cancer treatments.

“With numerous clinical trials assessing Lapatinib across a range of tumour types, we hope this is just the beginning for this innovative product, in terms of the positive difference it can make to patients’ lives.”

Worldwide, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women, resulting in over one million new cases annually. Each year around 360,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in Europe. In Ireland, one woman in eleven will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.