New breast cancer drug slashes risk of disease recurrence

Roche is hailing the trial as the most significant advance in hormonal treatment for the disease

Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche has unveiled groundbreaking results for its experimental oral drug, giredestrant, demonstrating a 30 per cent reduction in breast cancer recurrence compared to standard endocrine therapy.

The company hails this as the most significant advance in hormonal treatment for the disease in over two decades.

Detailed findings from the Phase III lidERA trial revealed that after three years, 92.4 per cent of patients receiving giredestrant remained alive and disease-free, against 89.6 per cent in the standard-of-care group.

Roche's Chief Medical Officer, Levi Garraway, explained the impact: "When you talk about a 30 per cent increase in disease-free survival, you're basically saying 30 per cent of these patients who in standard of care would still have gone on to recur - you're getting 30 per cent fewer of those patients recurring."

These findings address a critical unmet need in ER-positive breast cancer, which accounts for approximately 70 per cent of all cases.

Despite existing treatments, up to a third of early-stage patients experience recurrence.

The hormonal coil may be linked to increased risk of breast cancer, researchers say (PA Wire)

The giredestrant pill belongs to a class known as oral selective oestrogen receptor degraders (SERD) to fight tumours that grow in response to oestrogen, which are estimated to account for up to 80 per cent of all breast cancer cases.

While giredestrant is positioned as a potential new standard in adjuvant endocrine therapy, questions persist regarding its optimal use alongside other treatments, such as CDK4/6 inhibitors like Novartis' Kisqali.

Garraway emphasised that giredestrant's safety profile was favourable, with numerically fewer patients discontinuing treatment due to side effects compared with those who received standard care.

JPMorgan analysts previously estimated the adjuvant indication could generate about $5 billion in annual revenue if approved.

Early promising results, announced by the Swiss pharmaceutical firm in November, saw the company’s shares surge, reinforcing its strong standing in oncology.

The results will be presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium on Wednesday. Giredestrant belongs to a class of drugs called oral selective estrogen receptor degraders, or SERDs.